Giuseppe Cossiga, president of the federation representing Italy’s aerospace, defence and security industries, highlights Ankara as Rome’s “natural and strategic partner”. He also warns of Europe’s drone technology gap and urges innovative alliances like the Leonardo-Baykar collaboration to close it
A strategic partnership. Giuseppe Cossiga, president of AIAD—the federation representing Italy’s aerospace, defence and security industries—describes Türkiye as “a natural and strategic partner” for Italy.
- In an interview with our sister website Formiche, he contrasts Italy’s open stance with the more closed or hostile positions adopted by France and Germany.
- As he recalls, Germany recently vetoed the sale of 40 Eurofighter jets to Ankara, while France has clashed with Türkiye over issues including explorations in the eastern Mediterranean.
- By contrast, Türkiye perceives Italy “very differently” and remains “highly receptive” to Italian overtures.
- “Our industrial defence relationship is long-standing and robust,” Cossiga adds.
A new era of cooperation. Tuesday’s Italian-Turkish intergovernmental summit in Rome marked a significant milestone in strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
- The two governments formalised a series of agreements and memoranda of understanding to strengthen bilateral cooperation, starting with developing economic and trade relations.
- The two countries are also strengthening their cooperation in the aerospace sector, with the Turkish company Baykar acquiring Piaggio Aerospace.
- In March, Baykar signed a memorandum of understanding with the Italian defence giant Leonardo to establish a joint venture for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Bridging Europe’s Gap. Cossiga highlights Europe’s lag in drone technology—from loitering munitions and FPV reconnaissance drones to large remotely piloted aircraft.
- “This gap can be closed not only by developing indigenous technologies but also through smart alliances,” he argues, noting that the Leonardo-Baykar agreement exemplifies this strategic logic.
