There are many ways to measure the friendship between two nations and their communities. Time is undoubtedly one of them. The 170 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Türkiye, which we celebrate this year, testify to the strength of a bond which predates the birth of both states.
This closeness has its roots in the myth of Aeneas, who, having left Troy in flames, arrived on the shores of Italy after a long journey and gave rise to the lineage from which Rome would be born several generations later.
This understanding has grown stronger thanks to the role our peoples have played in the Mediterranean, a crossroads of encounters connecting three continents.
Nurturing this history and preserving its memory is a shared priority, one that commits us to resolutely enhancing a heritage spanning both the more recent centuries and the origins of civilization. We do so, first and foremost, through archaeology, where our leading scholars collaborate on 15 missions across Turkish territory, including four UNESCO sites.
It is for this reason that my visit begins in Hierapolis, where I will have the honor of opening, together with the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the “17th Archaeology Conference,” dedicated to the Italian contribution to this research. The site, a symbol of our cooperation, has hosted the oldest continuous archaeological excavation activity since 1957.
Last June, together with Minister Ersoy, we inaugurated “Troy and Rome” at the Colosseum, a splendid exhibition that has already welcomed more than 2 million visitors. We are thus continuing along this shared path, one of the countless routes that culture offers us to strengthen our partnership and build a future of stability and prosperity.
Italian architects, artists, merchants, musicians, officials and entrepreneurs have always been active in the great cities of the Ottoman Empire and, later, of Türkiye. Even today, this industrious community, present above all in Istanbul and İzmir, preserves a heritage that unites us and, like our friendship, spans different eras and changes in institutions.
In the early years of the Republic of Türkiye, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk invited the sculptor Pietro Canonica to place his artistic skill at the service of the new State. His works helped shape its public image and visual identity.
We wish to renew this dialogue. Beyond celebrating our shared past, the continuous exchange between our cultures has given rise to original experiences in this land, of which the Levantine community offers a fascinating testimony. In the coming days, we will lay the foundations for agreements and initiatives that will open up further opportunities. In Istanbul, for example, I will present an itinerary of emblematic places highlighting Italian art and ingenuity.
Among friendly and allied states, culture reveals its most authentic meaning: it is a strategic resource, which fosters closer ties by appealing to both reason and emotion.
Mutual understanding unlocks the transformative potential of two civilizations that have grown along the shores of the same sea.
Italy preserves the Latin and Mediterranean legacy that gave the West the law of Nations (IUS GENTIUM), uniting different peoples within a single ideal homeland.
Türkiye is the natural heir to the longest-lived empire in human history, the Ottoman Empire, while also safeguarding the remains of the ancient Hittite civilization.
Our parallel histories form the channel through which the purest river in world history continues to flow today.
