Taking place at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre, a 50-minute conversation “confirming the intense relations between the two countries”, Meloni reportedly emphasised the strategy for the Mediterranean and the fight against illegal migration and confirmed the government’s interest in cooperating with Turkey in various sectors.
The two presidents chatted about investments in the industrial and defense sectors, and confirmed a shared objective of a further boost in economic relations, to reach an exchange of in excess of €30 billion.
The sources also said Erdogan expressed his appreciation for Italy’s role in the Mediterranean and invited Meloni to Ankara.
The 31 NATO leaders of the military alliance are meeting to discuss the Ukraine war, Sweden’s NATO membership, and steps to strengthen the group’s defence and deterrence, among other issues.
Turkey boasts NATO’s second-largest army, with around 450,000 active military personnel, behind the United States (1,350,000), with Italy the fifth largest, with approximately 175,000 servicemen and women.
ANSA
