Rome: Italy's premier on Tuesday praised the excellent relations with Trkiye and pledged to improve them further. Speaking at a joint news conference in Rome with visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a Turkish-Italian intergovernmental meeting, Giorgia Meloni underlined the historical and extensive ties between the two countries in multiple domains. "Today we confirm the solidity of our relations and lay the foundations to further strengthen our partnership," she said.

According to Anadolu Agency, the countries' bilateral trade volume has reached $32 billion, surpassing their previous goal of $30 billion. Meloni announced a new target of $40 billion in trade in the mid-term, emphasizing the potential for growth. "It requires a lot of work, but we can both count on the dynamism of our companies, institutions," she added.

Meloni highlighted that the partnership extends beyond economic ties. "We are close allies in NATO's European-Mediterranean chapter," she stated. During the meeting with Erdogan, global challenges were also on the agenda. Meloni expressed gratitude to the Turkish president for his mediation efforts since the onset of the war in Ukraine, particularly in addressing the war's impact on food security.