Italy likely to continue its longtime support for Türkiye's EU bid: President Erdogan

By Esra Tekin and Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday expressed his belief that Italy, which he said has supported the country's EU membership bid "from the very beginning," will continue to do so.

Erdogan's remarks came during a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, where he attended the 4th Intergovernmental Summit between Türkiye and Italy.

Ankara will continue to strengthen cooperation with Italy, which has made significant progress in the defense industry, through new partnerships and projects, he added.

He further announced that during the summit Ankara and Rome set a new bilateral trade volume target of $40 billion.

Saying that the meeting also addressed regional and global issues, Erdogan added that Türkiye will continue to work with Italy on long-term sustainable solutions to preserve stability and prosperity in the North African nation of Libya.

Ankara's priority is an immediate return to a ceasefire in Gaza, "where even the entry of humanitarian aid has not been allowed for the past two months," said Erdogan.

"In Syria, we are currently focused on the country's reconstruction, strengthening its institutions, and preserving its territorial integrity," the Turkish leader added.