ROME — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Rome on Thursday as part of an official working visit. The two officials held a joint press conference following their talks.
Tajani described Turkey and Italy as strategic partners, citing the intergovernmental summit held in Rome last April as evidence of deepening ties. He announced the signing of a new cooperation document aimed at strengthening joint efforts to combat irregular migration, particularly from Libya across the Mediterranean.
“This agreement will be highly beneficial in preventing departures from Libya and enhancing regional stability,” Tajani said. He emphasized the critical importance of migration issues for Italy, noting that collaboration with a key country like Turkey would bolster efforts against human trafficking.
Tajani also said the two countries would work together on training law enforcement personnel and improving coordination between their coast guards. “We aim to dismantle criminal networks operating in the Mediterranean and reinforce maritime cooperation,” he said.
The migration issue was previously discussed in August during a trilateral meeting in Istanbul involving Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, and interior ministers from both Turkey and Italy.
Tajani added that Italy seeks to expand dialogue with other regional actors, stressing that the stability of North Africa and the Mediterranean is of vital importance.