On 11 September, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Rome. They signed a cooperation agreement to curb irregular migration from Libya – implementation is due to start in just two weeks. Tajani noted that this initiative – which also aims at fighting other trans-Mediterranean illicit activities such as drug trafficking and terrorism – is meant to turn the Mediterranean from a ‘graveyard’ to ‘an area of development’. Both parties reportedly emphasised the importance of Italy-Turkey bilateral cooperation in security as well as economic matters.
