Premier Giorgia Meloni met withTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Vahdettin Pavilion in Istanbul on Saturday in her first international mission since Italy took up the duty presidency of the G7 at the start of this year.
The talks, which follow on from bilaterals on the sidelines of multilateral meetings in Bali, Vilnius, New York and Dubai, were to focus on the Israel-Hamas war and the war sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Italian sources said The aim of Meloni's first visit to Turkey is to confirm the strategic nature of the partnership between Rome and Ankara within NATO and in the Mediterranean basin.
The two leaders were also set to discuss strengthening bilateraleconomic relations and the meeting of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) later this year, as well as strengthening cooperation on migration.
Meloni took in some sights before the encounter, visiting the Grand Bazaar.
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