A business forum between Italy and Turkey and an intergovernmental summit scheduled for next week have been postponed, BBC’s Turkish service reported on Monday, sparking speculation about the reasons behind the delay, with some politicians linking it to the recent imprisonment of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The planned summit would bring together Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, though neither government officially announced a date. Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) had previously stated the business forum would be held April 17 in Rome.
“Our Turkey-Italy Business Council will organize the Italy-Turkey Business Forum in Rome with the attendance of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni,” DEİK announced earlier this month.
The postponement has sparked a political reaction, including from Italian Democratic Party MEP Dario Nardella, a former mayor of Florence.
Nardella, who previously voiced support for Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu after his recent imprisonment, suggested that the delay could be related to İmamoğlu’s arrest.
“We hope the reason isn’t simply scheduling conflicts but rather Italy’s discomfort following İmamoğlu’s arrest and subsequent protests by millions in Turkey. Democracy cannot be an optional choice,” Nardella said.
İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s opposition mayor, was arrested March 23 on corruption charges. His detention triggered widespread protests across Turkey, with critics calling the charges politically motivated. The Turkish government has denied any political interference in judicial matters.
When asked about the postponement, Italy’s Prime Minister’s Office told BBC Türkçe, “A final schedule was never officially confirmed” and declined to comment further on whether İmamoğlu’s imprisonment influenced the decision.
Italian media, however, point to Prime Minister Meloni’s scheduling conflicts as the likely reason for the delay. Leading newspapers Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica report Meloni plans to visit the United States April 14-17 to meet with President Donald Trump about recently imposed additional tariffs.
La Repubblica cites government sources saying the timing of Erdoğan’s planned April 17 visit conflicted with Meloni’s US trip, forcing the postponement. Corriere della Sera reports that Meloni wants to meet with Trump personally before US Vice President JD Vance visits Rome on April 19.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto visited Ankara April 7 at the invitation of Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler. Crosetto met with President Erdoğan and discussed bilateral and regional defense cooperation, including security challenges in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region.
“Today, I had the opportunity to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accompanied by my counterpart Yaşar Güler,” Crosetto posted on X.
Italy and Turkey have recently expanded defense cooperation. Turkey’s Baykar acquired Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace in December 2024, marking a significant step in bilateral defense collaboration.
This acquisition facilitates Baykar’s entry into European markets by bypassing export restrictions, a strategic move in defense industry cooperation.
Baykar and Leonardo, Italy’s largest aerospace and defense firm, signed a memorandum of understanding for joint ventures in unmanned aerial systems in March, further strengthening defense ties between the two countries.
Previous Italy-Turkey summits took place in 2008, 2012 and 2022, highlighting the countries’ ongoing collaboration in trade, defense and regional security. Trade between Turkey and Italy reached $32 billion in 2024, with both sides aiming to increase this figure through enhanced collaboration in sectors like defense and energy.