Türkiye-Italy-Libya Cooperation Summit is a trilateral leaders’ meeting held on 1 August 2025 in Istanbul, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, and Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh of Libya’s Government of National Unity. The summit addressed irregular migration flows, energy cooperation, the political process in Libya, and regional security.
Overall Scope and Agenda of the Summit
The summit was held at Dolmabahçe Palace and organized to strengthen regional cooperation among Türkiye, Italy and Libya. The agenda included the management of irregular migration flows in the Mediterranean basin, energy exploration activities, and joint steps toward achieving political stability in Libya.
President Erdoğan highlighted the challenges facing the Mediterranean—irregular migration, security threats and political instability—and emphasized the importance of coordinated efforts among Türkiye, Italy and Libya to address these issues. Erdoğan stressed the need for multilateral cooperation and coordination to achieve long-term and sustainable solutions.
Management of Irregular Migration Flows
The control of irregular migration flows was the top priority on the summit agenda. Italian Prime Minister Meloni recalled the “excellent results” achieved through cooperation with Türkiye in this field and stated that the lessons learned could be applied to Libya’s migration management. Meloni emphasized the need to develop concrete action plans to combat international human smuggling networks, prevent irregular migration movements and provide support to Libya.
The leaders agreed to immediately initiate technical-level discussions and to take concrete steps within a defined timeframe. Libya’s Government of National Unity underscored the importance of strengthening regional cooperation, stability and economic integration and called for support of joint strategic projects in the Mediterranean.
Energy Cooperation and Geopolitical Projects
Energy cooperation was another key topic of the summit. Pursuant to an agreement signed in June 2025 between Türkiye and Libya, seismic surveys covering 10,000 square kilometers in four maritime areas of the Mediterranean were approved. These surveys are expected to be completed within nine months, with Türkiye’s technical capacity playing a decisive role in exploring Libya’s hydrocarbon resources.
Italy is a major player in energy infrastructure linking Libya to Europe. Through the Greenstream pipeline, Italy transports natural gas from Libya to Sicily and highlighted the strategic importance of this route during the summit. Discussions also covered energy, oil and gas, infrastructure investments, port projects, electricity grid development and Libya’s integration into regional initiatives in the Mediterranean.
Political Process and Security Issues in Libya
The leaders also addressed the political resolution process in Libya. Prime Minister Meloni reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to Libya’s unity, sovereignty and stability and expressed support for a Libyan-led political process facilitated by the United Nations, with elections as the ultimate goal.
Libyan Prime Minister Dbeibeh referred to security operations in Tripoli, stating that operations aimed at eliminating the influence of illegal armed groups and depoliticizing state institutions are essential for implementing national policies on migration and border security. Dbeibeh also called for the establishment of regional coordination mechanisms involving Türkiye, Italy, Libya and Qatar.
Türkiye-Italy Defense Industry and Diplomatic Cooperation
Defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and Italy was also discussed at the summit. Reference was made to the signing of a joint venture agreement between Türkiye’s Baykar and Italy’s Leonardo Corporation for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles. It was also noted that Türkiye continues its process to procure 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets from a consortium that includes Italy.
It was stated that Türkiye and Italy are conducting complementary diplomatic initiatives in crisis regions of the Black Sea, the Middle East and North Africa within the framework of their NATO alliance. Erdoğan and Meloni were noted to maintain frequent telephone consultations and to be in close cooperation toward achieving regional stability.
Decisions Following the Summit
At the conclusion of the summit, the three countries agreed to hold regular meetings of their cooperation committees and to re-evaluate decisions at the leadership level. The three nations resolved to accelerate technical-level work to define concrete steps within a specified timeframe.
