Italy on Thursday praised Turkey’s ongoing mediation efforts to find a peaceful solution for the Russia-Ukraine war, which started after Moscow’s attack on Feb. 24.
Turkey plays an important role in starting the negotiation process toward peace thanks to its geostrategic position and relations with all parties, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said in response to a question from Anadolu Agency (AA) during his meeting with the Foreign Press Association in Rome.
The first day of a new round of two-day peace talks between Russia and Ukraine brokered by Turkey ended in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Ahead of the talks, Erdoğan reiterated his call for a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine as the war enters its second month.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the talks had made "meaningful" progress, and the two sides had reached "a consensus and common understanding" on some issues.
He said the meeting would be followed by one between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers at an unspecified time. A meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents is also "on the agenda," he said.
Turkey has received widespread praise for its efforts to end the war, helped by its unique position in having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine.
Referring to his recent meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the issue of Turkey's inclusion in the EUROSAM air defense system that is jointly manufactured by France and Italy, he said there is a consensus to restart the negotiations on the matter.
We agreed that Italy, France and Turkey should meet in the coming weeks to rebuild and strengthen relations, Draghi noted, adding that the relations with Ankara have already improved a lot.
In January 2018 when Erdoğan visited France, Turkish partners Aselsan and Roketsan inked a deal with Eurosam for the Long Range Air and Missile Defense Project for a period of 18 months. However, the process came to a halt due to France's political stance, according to an earlier statement by Turkish defense officials.
The three-country missile program aims to defend against threats from stealth aircraft, drones and missiles. The joint development activity was also expected to support Turkey’s indigenous air and missile development program in addition to opening up prospects for exports and long-term cooperation between Turkey, Italy and France.
The Eurosam consortium comprises European missile maker MBDA, a joint venture between Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo and Britain’s BAE Systems, and French defense contractor Thales, whose main shareholders are French state and fighter jet maker Dassault Aviation.