Giorgia Meloni obtains support from Recep Tayyip Erdogan to limit migratory flows from Libya , trying to replicate the shared efforts that have slowed down those on the Turkey-Italy route.
This is the main news that emerged from the more than two-hour meeting in Istanbul, in which the prime minister thanked the Turkish president for the mediation efforts between Ukraine and Russia, in particular on the wheat agreement.
On the other great geopolitical crisis, the one between Israel and Hamas, there is decidedly less emphasis in the report filtering through from Italian sources, according to which the war in Gaza is part of the discussion on major global issues, also in light of the newly established G7 presidency passed on the shoulders of the government of Rome.
Italy is trying to move with balance in the Middle Eastern powder keg , and the tensions in the Red Sea are the latest geopolitical emergency that has entered the agenda in a disruptive way also of the Italian executive and of Meloni, who has chosen the delicate mission in Istanbul to begin a series of international commitments (next in early February in Japan) in the year of the G7.
THE VISIT – Giorgia Meloni's visit to Istanbul began from the Grand Bazaar , the largest and oldest market in the Turkish city, an obligatory stop for tourists. Surrounded by escort agents, the prime minister received applause from shopkeepers and onlookers present , exchanging a few jokes with those who greeted her in Italian.
Then the meeting with Erdogan at the Vahdettin palace , a presidential residence on the Asian side of the city, hit by a strong storm.
Between the conversation and the official dinner (without the usual final statements to the press), the shared priorities between the two NATO allies overlooking the Mediterranean were discussed in about two and a half hours . Starting from the instability of the southern bank of the basin. The objective is to strengthen migratory cooperation which, Italian sources note, last year led to a 56% reduction in irregular flows along the Italy-Turkey corridor.
Bilateral relations are also on the table. Commercial trade, explain Italian sources, has exceeded 25 billion euros and is approaching the shared objective of at least 30 billion in 2030. The economic opportunities for Italian companies were also examined, in particular in the defense sector, and therefore for Leonardo.
Astore drones could be equipped with light missiles or guided rockets like the Cirit system from the Turkish company Roketsan.
(Unioneonline/vl)