President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday received Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah in Istanbul for a cooperation summit.
The surprise meeting at Dolmabahçe Palace on the banks of the Bosporus focused on energy exploration in the Mediterranean, irregular migration flows, as well as the political process to restore stability in Libya, media reports said.
The summit is “part of the ongoing coordination between Libya, Türkiye and Italy, aimed at promoting common approaches that serve the interests of the region’s peoples and contribute to supporting stability and international cooperation, according to a statement released by the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA).
In June 2025, Türkiye and Libya signed a deal for joint geological and geophysical surveys across four offshore Mediterranean zones. The agreement includes a 10,000‑kilometer (6,200-mile) seismic campaign and data processing within nine months, signaling a strategic deepening of Ankara‑Tripoli ties in hydrocarbons.
Türkiye’s expertise and seismic capabilities are set to play a pivotal role in unlocking Libya’s untapped reserves, estimated among Africa’s largest, while Italy remains a key downstream partner through pipelines like Greenstream linking Libya to Sicily.
The talks also came against the backdrop of mounting migration pressures, as all three nations sit along key routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty. Libya remains the primary departure point, with some 21,000 migrants reaching Italy this year – an 80% increase compared to 2024, according to Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore.
As two NATO allies, Türkiye and Italy have strengthened their partnership in recent years, playing complementary roles as regional bridge-builders. Cooperation has expanded in trade, defense and diplomacy, with both nations prioritizing stability in the Black Sea, the Middle East and North Africa.
Earlier this year, Italian defense giant Leonardo, one of Europe's largest defense industry companies, and Turkish drone powerhouse Baykar signed a cooperation agreement, highlighting their interest in intensifying defense cooperation.
Diplomatic engagements have increased, with Erdoğan and Meloni holding frequent phone discussions. In the Black Sea and the Middle East, Türkiye’s mediation efforts for the wars in Ukraine and Gaza align with Italy’s priorities for regional stability.
Erdoğan last visited Rome in late April for the fourth intergovernmental summit between the two countries. He and Meloni discussed geopolitical crises, as well as the present and future of Libya.
In a joint declaration, the sides had voiced their support for a U.N.-facilitated, Libyan-owned political process aimed at preserving Libya’s unity, security and sovereignty.
Libya has seen more than a decade of stop-start conflict since a NATO-backed revolt toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, with a myriad of militias forming opposing alliances backed by foreign powers.
The country is currently governed by two rival administrations: the U.N.-recognized GNU led by Dbeibah in Tripoli, which controls the western part of the country, and the government of Osama Hammad, appointed by the parliament, which operates out of Benghazi and governs the eastern region and parts of the south.
Efforts led by the U.N. to hold parliamentary and presidential elections have repeatedly stalled, prolonging the country’s political deadlock and exacerbating the security situation in the oil-rich nation.
Türkiye and Libya have seen closer ties in recent years, especially after the signing of security and maritime boundary pacts in November 2019, along with Türkiye’s aid to help the internationally recognized Libyan government push back putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s forces.
Türkiye supported the U.N.-recognized legitimate government in Tripoli against the eastern-based illegitimate forces led by Haftar, who was backed by Egypt, France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia.
Türkiye’s support for the Tripoli government was critical in repelling the Haftar forces’ offensive to capture the capital, Tripoli, and led to a period of stability that resulted in the formation of a unity government.
