Ankara, April 30, 2025 – The Europe Today: Türkiye and Italy signed a comprehensive set of cooperation agreements on Tuesday, covering a wide range of sectors including trade, industrial investment, space, culture, sports, social services, archives, transportation, and defence. The memorandums of understanding were formalized following the Fourth Türkiye-Italy Intergovernmental Summit, co-chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Among the key outcomes of the summit was a Joint Ministerial Statement between Türkiye’s Ministry of Trade and Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, aimed at deepening bilateral trade relations. In a parallel move, Türkiye’s Ministry of Industry and Technology and Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy signed a memorandum of understanding to advance cooperation in science, technology, innovation, industry, and investment.
Space collaboration was also elevated, with the Turkish Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency entering into an agreement focused on peaceful uses of outer space. In the cultural sphere, Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Italy’s Ministry of Culture committed to jointly combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, and enhancing inter-museum collaboration and the preservation of archaeological heritage.
Additional accords included cooperation between the Turkish State Archives and the Archives Directorate of Italy’s Culture Ministry, further strengthening cultural and historical ties. An agreement was also signed between the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports and its Italian counterpart to expand collaboration in youth development and sporting activities.
Social policy cooperation was bolstered through a memorandum of understanding between Türkiye’s Ministry of Family and Social Services and Italy’s Ministry for Disabilities. In transportation, the two countries pledged closer cooperation through a memorandum signed by the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
A notable development in defence industry cooperation was the signing of a preliminary protocol between Baykar, a leading Turkish drone manufacturer, and Leonardo, one of Europe’s top aerospace and defence firms. The agreement underscores the strategic dimension of bilateral ties in the high-tech and defence sectors.
The summit and ensuing agreements signal a significant step forward in strengthening the multidimensional partnership between Türkiye and Italy.
