Minister Guler: Türkiye and Italy share common defense and security perspective in NATO

DHA

Creation Date: May 31, 2025 01:25

Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler , accompanied by Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak and Force Commanders, attended the reception held in Ankara on the occasion of Italy's National Day. Minister Güler made a speech at the reception and said, "I sincerely congratulate the National Day of our friendly and allied country Italy and convey the greetings of our President to you. I also present my respects and send my greetings to the friendly people of Italy through you. Turkey and Italy have been two strategic actors in the Mediterranean, which is the intersection of peace, trade and civilizations throughout history. The historical relations between our countries, whose roots go back centuries, also provide great momentum to our close relations today. Our bilateral relations continue to strengthen in every field with the common values ​​and interests we have on many platforms as well as the strategic visions of our leaders."

'Türkiye AND ITALY SHARE A COMMON DEFENSE AND SECURITY PERSPECTIVE'

Minister Güler stated that, in a critical period when regional and global tensions are escalating, Turkey is making intense efforts to ensure that peace and stability prevail from the Black Sea to Africa, from the Middle East to the Caucasus, and said, "During this sensitive process we are going through, the crises and challenges we are facing have made it more essential than ever for regional powers to cooperate. Indeed, Turkey and Italy share a common defense and security perspective, first and foremost under the NATO umbrella, and act together to protect Mediterranean and Euro-Atlantic security. Our unity in the NATO Kosovo Force Command, the largest NATO Mission in the Balkans, is a strong reflection of our common security vision. Similarly, we work in coordination to establish stability and peace in a wide area from Libya to the Balkans, and we make intense efforts to integrate our strategic interests and produce common solutions. On the other hand, we also welcome the momentum gained in recent years by the Turkey-Italy Intergovernmental Summit, which was held with the aim of deepening our bilateral relations on an institutional basis. On the occasion of these meetings, we As our dialogue develops, we are also preparing the ground for the growth of our partnership in strategic areas such as economic and commercial cooperation and the defense industry. The fact that Italy is among the top 5 countries in our foreign trade is a reflection of this," he said.

'JOINT ACTIVITIES AND DRILLS CONTINUE'

Minister Güler, drawing attention to the fact that Italy and Türkiye continue to conduct joint activities and exercises as a reflection of their close relations, said, "Similarly, we are very pleased with the signing of agreements for the defense industry. We are working with great effort to take our strong relations in the fields of military cooperation and defense industry to higher levels. We have sincere and constructive communication with my esteemed counterpart Mr. Crosetto on this issue. We are determined to take our relations to higher levels in other areas as well. We believe that this great potential is important for the welfare of our countries and paves the way for new cooperation. I would like to emphasize that Italy's constructive approach to Türkiye's relations with the European Union provides valuable contributions to the process and that continuing active support in this regard is valuable. I believe that in the upcoming period, we will take our dialogue and cooperation to higher levels on the axis of our deep-rooted relations, our common interests and the many contributions we can make to each other."

Minister Güler, who stated that their greatest wish is for the trust and support of the two countries and the Turkey - Italy friendship to continue to grow as it has until today, said, "The efforts of the Italian Ambassador in this regard since the day he took office are commendable. On this occasion, I would like to thank him and the distinguished staff of the Italian Embassy in particular."