Italy-Turkey summit, Meloni raises talks with Erdogan, trade at 35 billion

"Large Turkish companies, as we can see today, are increasingly interested in investing in Italy," stressed the Prime Minister in statements to the press at the end of the Italy-Turkey summit, held at Villa Pamphilj. "This is demonstrated by the choice of Baykar Technologies to acquire Piaggio Aerospace and to create together with Leonardo an Italian-Turkish alliance in the sector of the development, production, and maintenance of unmanned aerial systems,' Meloni continued. 'I consider it a significant agreement, which envisages the birth of an Italian-based joint venture that will make it possible to enhance our respective strengths and open up new market opportunities, especially in Europe.

According to the Turkish Minister of Energy and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kacir, the agreement between Leonardo and Baykar Technologies 'opens a new era' between Italy and Turkey and - he emphasised in his speech to the Business Forum - thanks to this agreement the two countries have enormous potential in the defence sector. "Italy and Turkey," he added, "share the same strategic position, they feed off each other, they are two friendly countries that have been working together for many years and every day we grow together," Kacir continued, pointing out that "globalisation is slowing down and bilateral cooperation is increasing: the one between Italy and Turkey will bring great benefits to the whole of Europe". The Turkish minister emphasised that Turkey has over time become a hub for technology, for steel production and especially for research and development projects, to which an important part of the national GDP is allocated. "With our ally Italy we will work together to increase our trade and do very prestigious cooperations," Kacir concluded, assuring that "Italian companies in Turkey will receive everything they need".

Among the elements in the background of this understanding is the sixth-generation fighter, the Gcap, the project involving in an equal manner Italy, the UK and Japan. It is a system of combat aircraft, integrated with unmanned cooperative systems, satellites and other military assets. The project envisages all elements of the system being connected by an 'intelligent' network, based on a dedicated cloud architecture, artificial intelligence and next-generation datalinks. The sixth-generation fighter is expected to enter service from 2035, replacing the Eurofighters. The Gcap will be flanked by no swarm of drones, but it is still too early to tell whether a synergy between Italy and Turkey can be developed even in this strategic project. Roberto Cingolani, CEO and Director General of Leonardo, recalled that 'the defence industry is going through unprecedented challenges such as unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, the sixth-generation fighter, cybersecurity, and space. In this scenario,' he added, 'we are convinced that technological cooperation is necessary and urgent'. According to Cingolani, 'we will see the first prototypes in ten years, in the meantime we need to know the requirements. We still don't even know where the drones will go, on wings? As wingmen? It's too early. Certainly, however, he added, 'there will be a need for unmanned means, and to develop new technologies'.

In mid-March, Rob Merryweather, chief technology officer of BAE Systems, the UK Defence champion that with Leonardo and an industrial consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (for Japan) will develop the Gcap programme, emphasised the potential benefits of coordinating to develop lower-cost drones that would sit alongside the Gcap programme. 'All the nations involved in the Gcap,' he explained at the time, 'have the same need for autonomous collaborative programmes to sit alongside the aircraft. In terms of collaboration with Japan, I think the dialogue is still in its infancy, but it is certainly an area where collaboration with international partners is of interest to us'. Merryweather did not refer to a possible involvement of Italy, a third partner, but added that balancing the capabilities of the drones with those of the fighter jets would be 'crucial' for the accessibility and success of the Gcap. Although the final cost of the sixth-generation fighter has not yet been indicated, the drones would cost about one-tenth of the sixth-generation fighter.

Meloni also spoke of the 'agreement between Tim Sparkle and Turkcell to connect Turkey to Italy and the European telecommunications ecosystem, we will build a state-of-the-art digital backbone approximately 4,000 kilometres long that will cross the Mediterranean and improve connectivity between Europe, the Middle East and Asia'. In statements to the press with the Turkish president, he emphasised that the agreements signed on this occasion show that the one between the two countries "is an all-round cooperation". 'We are strengthening energy cooperation,' he added, 'a context in which we are already strategic partners, in particular for the supply of natural gas through the Tap. We intend to deepen this area of cooperation, to seize the opportunities that may come in the future for both renewables and hydrogen. We also consolidate our cooperation in the area of space, in infrastructure development and transport starting with high-speed rail, in the enhancement of our cultural and archaeological riches, and in sport.