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Mitsotakis and Meloni discuss competitiveness, defense, and migration

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his joint statements with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni after the conclusion of the High Cooperation Council between Greece and Italy, stressed that “ we did not have a formal diplomatic meeting but an essential opportunity to coordinate our steps with passion on all issues from regional developments to migration.” Mitsotakis emphasised that Greece and Italy are bound by profound political, historical, and economic connections, facing shared challenges in an increasingly uncertain world.

He stressed the need for more frequent meetings of the High Cooperation Council.  "The joint statement we signed reflects strategic cooperation. We want to triple the cooperation between our two countries in the electric interconnection," Mitsotakis noted. 

Referring to the agreement signed with the Italian state railway company, he described it as significant, noting that it marks a restart of a relationship that had been tested in the wake of the Tempi tragedy. Under the agreement, Greece is committed to investing over 400 million euros in upgrading the rail network and installing modern safety systems, while Italy will contribute 360 million euros for new trains and depots.

He added that economic relations and bilateral trade were also among the topics discussed with his Italian counterpart.

Mitsotakis also referenced their discussions concerning Syria and Libya, stating: “ We are no longer focusing on the internal redistribution of refugees; instead, we are prioritising the protection of our borders, combating smuggling rings, enhancing return policies, and reorganising our approach to receiving legal migrants.”
Referring to Ukraine, he noted that “ we support an unconditional 30-day ceasefire”.

Mitsotakis emphasised the need to strengthen European defence and Greek-Italian defence cooperation. "We share the view that our cooperation with the US is necessary and essential to reach a mutually beneficial trade agreement. We must avoid a trade war; we must make every effort to keep the West united against the challenges we face," Mitsotakis added.

Memorandum of Cooperation

A Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Development of Greece and the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy was signed on Monday in Rome, in the framework of the High Cooperation Council of the two countries, under the leadership of PΜ Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.

The agreement was signed by Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos and his Italian counterpart Adolfo Urso, aiming to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as industrial policy, support for small and medium-sized enterprises and innovation.

Theodorikakos stressed that "the agreement takes on particular importance in view of the successive EU presidencies of Greece in the second half of 2027 and Italy in the first half of 2028. It comes, to lay the institutional foundations of an already dynamic and productive cooperation between the business and industrial communities of the two countries".

  • Published in Greece

Erdogan’s "great game" with Italy

Through a new mammoth defence deal with Rome, Ankara is entering the "game" of the 100 billion that the Commission has announced will be allocated to the European Defence Union

Turkey‘s targeted investments around Greece are continuing, with Tayyip Erdogan and the Prime Minister of Italy yesterday agreeing on a series of key issues. Giorgia Meloni, shortly after her meeting with the President of Turkey, announced that the trade balance between Turkey and Italy—which in 2024 was just over $30 billion—will exceed $40 billion in 2025. Currently, over 500 companies are operating in Turkey through direct investments, while the Italian Prime Minister also announced even larger investments on Turkish soil.

Erdogan’s “Great Game"

Despite the announcements of trade agreements and the very positive atmosphere of the meeting—attended by half of Erdogan’s cabinet—the Turkish President’s big “coup” in Italy is a new massive defense deal with Rome. Specifically, following Baykar‘s acquisition of the historic Piaggio Aviation at the end of last December, Giorgia Meloni announced a new partnership with the Turkish drone manufacturer involving a multi-billion dollar investment.

Tayyip Erdogan continues to very effectively promote this particular company—run by his son-in-law—which today produces 60% of all military-type drones globally. In this way, beyond deepening economic synergies with European countries, Ankara is also entering more dynamically into the €100 billion game announced by the European Commission as part of the EU’s unified defense framework. Baykar’s deals in Italy and its upcoming investments are set to make it one of the leading candidates for absorbing EU defense spending, as through Italy, Ankara now meets the formal requirements set by the Commission in the draft currently under final review by EU member states.

Tayyip Erdogan is attempting—with great success—to create powerful bilateral relationships that will bring him significant gains, not only economically but also diplomatically. The strengthening of Turkey’s ties with Italy is again occurring in a region around Greece, with all the implications that may carry. It’s worth noting that Turkey and Italy have grown quite close in recent years, especially after the crisis in Libya, with Italian interests supporting Turkish actions and partially promoting points from the illegal Turkey-Libya memorandum.

Also noteworthy is the energy aspect of the cooperation between Turkey and Italy, the details of which have not yet become widely known. However, Ankara and Rome have been discussing for at least two years the prospect of an energy interconnection via an underwater pipeline between the two countries—a discussion in which Athens will, sooner or later, need to be involved.

  • Published in World
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