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ROME (AP) \u2014 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday observed the formal exchange of a dozen cooperation agreements, including on defense, as part of efforts to strengthen ties between the two Mediterranean nations.<\/p>\n
Erdogan was in Rome to attend a fourth so-called Intergovernmental Summit between Italy and Turkey that aims to boost trade and cooperation.<\/p>\n
His visit comes at a time when Turkey and Italy have expanded defense partnerships. In March, Turkey\u2019s leading drone manufacturer, Baykar, reached a memorandum of understanding for a joint venture with Italy\u2019s Leonardo for production of unmanned aerial vehicles. Last year, Baykar bought Italian aircraft producer Piaggio Aerospace.<\/p>\n
Speaking after their meeting, Meloni and Erdogan said that Turkey and Italy have successfully reached their $30 billion trade volume target and have now set a new goal of $40 billion, signaling further economic collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to strengthen our cooperation with Italy, which has made significant progress in the field of defense industry, with new partnerships and projects,\u201d Erdogan said.<\/p>\n
Italy sees Turkey as a key partner in managing migration numbers and maintaining stability in the region.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Meloni thanked Erdogan, saying joint measures by Turkey and Italy had resulted in the number of migrants originating from Turkey dropping to \u201czero.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erdogan said: \u201cWe will continue our cooperation with Italy in the field of combating irregular migration in the coming period.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Turkish leader also said that the sides had discussed possible cooperation toward Syria\u2019s redevelopment and would hold more consultations on the issue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n