Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit Rome on Tuesday, April 29, for a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The Greek outlet Insider.gr reported this, citing Türkiye’s Anadolu agency. According to the outlet, in addition to diplomatic and political relations between the two countries, the summit in Rome will also include economic cooperation on the agenda.
Turkish and Italian business leaders will hold the 4th Türkiye -Italy Intergovernmental Summit, where agreements on cooperation across various sectors are expected, including defense and the defense industry, cybersecurity, energy, automotive, and more. During Erdogan's visit to Italy, a parallel business forum, Italy- Türkiye, will take place alongside the intergovernmental summit, according to the Italian Embassy in Ankara.
In the EU, Italy ranks second in trade volume, behind only Berlin ($3.635 billion), followed by Paris ($1.690 billion) and Madrid ($1.396 billion). However, in the Mediterranean, Italy remains Ankara's main trading partner, as well as Azerbaijan's.
According to data published by the ICE agency in Istanbul, following a record-breaking year in 2024 for trade between Italy and Türkiye, with a trade volume of $32.246 billion (of which $19.312 billion was Italian export), trade turnover dropped to $1.929 billion in January 2025, marking a 15.6% decrease compared to the same month in 2024. In particular, Italian exports to Turkey fell by 20% ($950.2 million), while imports decreased by 10.8%, reaching $978.5 million. In the reporting period, Italy ranked fifth among Türkiye's trading partners, becoming its fifth-largest supplier (after Russia, China, Germany, and the USA) and sixth-largest buyer (after Germany, the USA, the UK, the UAE, and Iraq).
In January 2025, the dynamics of Italian exports were driven by sales of "iron and steel" (+134.9% compared to January 2024), amounting to $51.2 million. On the other hand, exports of "precious and semi-precious stones, precious metals, pearls, and jewelry" have declined (-65.7%) after two years of triple-digit growth. In absolute terms, "machinery and mechanical equipment" remained Italy’s top export category in the first month of the year, despite a 33.6% drop compared to January 2024, falling to $176.93 million.
The dynamics of Türkiye’s exports, on the other hand, show a notable increase in "aluminum and aluminum products" (+58.4%) and "copper and copper products" (+53.3%).
Imports of "iron and steel" from Italy contracted by 36.3%. Meanwhile, "motor vehicles, tractors, and spare parts" remained Italy’s leading import category from Türkiye, totaling $197.2 million in January, despite a year-on-year decline of 14.8% in value.
Trade between Italy and Azerbaijan has doubled over the past five years, reaching €12 billion—driven primarily by the surge in energy imports, which has positioned Italy as Azerbaijan’s leading trading partner. Italy also ranks as the world’s fourth-largest exporter.
Energy cooperation between Italy and Azerbaijan is of fundamental importance, starting with the project to double the capacity of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP)—a strategic infrastructure asset for the EU’s energy security. In the field of renewable energy as well, Azerbaijan’s position offers unique opportunities for a range of alternative energy sources, including solar, wind, and geothermal power. In the field of renewable energy as well, Azerbaijan’s position offers unique opportunities for a range of alternative energy sources, including solar, wind, and geothermal power.
