President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Ankara.
According to a statement from the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications, bilateral relations and regional developments were discussed during the meeting.
Erdoğan emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation between Turkey and Italy, particularly in the fields of defense industry, investment, energy, and trade.
The President stated that in Turkey's EU membership negotiations, the focus should be on removing the final restrictions on membership, not on obstacles.
Stating that strengthening the European pillar within NATO is essential, Erdoğan said Turkey would support the EU's efforts in this area if they are based on the alliance framework.
On Libya, Erdoğan noted that the quadrilateral cooperation model between Turkey, Italy, Qatar, and Libya is an important mechanism and stressed that efforts in this direction will continue.
During the meeting, Erdoğan also invited Meloni to attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) Leaders Summit to be held in Antalya in November.