From “Good Relations” to “Strategic Pragmatism”: Italy-Turkey Defense Cooperation in a Fragmented Geopolitical Order

From “Good Relations” to “Strategic Pragmatism”: Italy-Turkey Defense Cooperation in a Fragmented Geopolitical Order

The IPC-Mercator Analysis ''From 'Good Relations' to 'Strategic Pragmatism': Italy-Turkey Defense Cooperation in a Fragmented Geopolitical Order" by 2024/25 Mercator-IPC Fellow Samuele C.A. Abrami and IPC Visiting Researcher Riccardo Gasco was published.

As the EU rethinks its security architecture in response to the war in Ukraine and growing uncertainty around U.S. policies, Ankara’s strategic value and relevance in European defence continue to draw interest, despite tensions in Turkey-EU relations. Within this context, the fourth Italy-Turkey Intergovernmental Summit, held in Rome on April 29, comes at a significant time, especially when the relations between the two countries are marked by a strong and unprecedented commitment to cooperation in defence matters. On the one hand, this is a notable example of how, in the absence of broader institutional alignment, interest-based collaboration is advancing between an EU member and a third country. On the other hand, it raises the question of whether this could represent a positive springboard for a broader cooperation framework at the EU level or if cooperation will remain limited due to longstanding constraints in Turkey-EU relations.

Introduction

As the European Union attempts to develop a new security and defense architecture, Turkey-EU relations appear increasingly caught between traditional normative commitments and the imperatives of security cooperation. Accelerated by the war in Ukraine and a mounting Russian threat and complicated by the uncertainties about U.S. policies, the EU and the so-called “Coalition of the Willing”1 began to discuss Turkey’s potential role and included Ankara in fresh talks on new defense cooperation mechanisms during the meeting held in the UK on April 10.2 However, recent developments in Turkey’s domestic politics—above all, the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu—have threatened to stall the positive momentum for enhanced cooperation. 3 Still, Europe’s modest criticism seems to signal that Brussels continues to value the role of Turkey’s geostrategic position and growing defense industry as a potential asset for meeting European security needs.