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Meloni and Erdoğan speak ahead of NATO summit: bilateral ties and migration in focus

Italian PM Meloni and Turkish President Erdoğan spoke by phone ahead of the NATO summit, discussing bilateral ties, migration, and regional security.

Meloni and Erdoğan speak ahead of NATO summit: bilateral ties and migration in focus
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held a phone call on Friday (July 3) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for July 7–8. According to an official statement from the Italian government, “the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the transatlantic relationship and to collective defense within NATO, with particular reference to the importance of the southern flank.”

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The statement on the Meloni–Erdoğan call and Turkey’s strategic role

The call also touched on Libya and cooperation in combating illegal migration flows and human trafficking, according to the same statement. The Italian government’s readout concluded that Giorgia Meloni and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pledged to strengthen bilateral relations between their two countries.
It is worth noting that Turkey’s strategic position has been at the center of international diplomacy in recent days — and not solely because of the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara. Turkey’s pivotal role in the US-Israel-Iran conflict, its diplomatic maneuvering in the Russia-Ukraine war, and its powerful alliances across the Middle East and Africa have firmly established it as a dominant regional player.

Ankara’s statement

“President Erdoğan held a phone call with Giorgia Meloni. The leaders discussed Turkey-Italy bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues. Underscoring that they are working to strengthen cooperation between Turkey and Italy across all sectors — particularly in the defense industry — President Erdoğan stressed the importance of taking new steps to further enhance bilateral relations.

President Erdoğan also expressed Turkey’s expectations for strengthening allied bonds during the NATO Leaders’ Summit to be held in Turkey,” Ankara’s statement reads.

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