Italy–Turkey relations

Italian-Turkish relations

Italy	Turkey

Italy-Turkey relations are the relations between Italy and Turkey. Both countries are members of NATO and the Union for the Mediterranean and have active diplomatic relations. Relations between Turkey and Italy date back centuries in the form of various predecessor states.

History

Ottoman relations with pre-unitary Italian States

Prior to the Unification of Italy, several Italian states, most notably the Republic of Venice, fought wars against the Ottoman Empire in conflicts such as the Ottoman–Venetian wars (1396–1718) and others.

The Ottoman Empire attempted to invade Italy in 1480. The

The Ottomans also briefly held Otranto once more after conquering it in 1537.^[2][3] Ottoman troops operated in Italy and surrounding islands as part of France's war to subdue the region.

Ottoman Empire – Kingdom of Italy relations

The Ottoman Empire begun its first diplomatic mission to Italy in 1856, shortly before the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy, by sending Ambassador Rüstem Pasha.^[4] Since then, Turkey has had a constant presence in Italy throughout both their embassy in Rome and their consulates in Milan and Naples.^[5]

Starting from the late 19th century, Italy had a territorial claim over

In 1902, a diplomatic crisis between Italy and the Ottoman Empire took place. The crisis began due to the Ottomans failing to prevent attacks by Turkish Arabs on Italian sambuks. When the Ottoman Empire refused to take precautions to prevent these attacks after repeated Italian threats, Italian warships bombarded Port Midi from 31 October onwards. On 10 November, the Ottoman Empire capitulated and agreed to take measures to curb piracy as well as pay an indemnity, ending the crisis.^[8] Also in 1902, Italy and France had signed a secret treaty which accorded freedom of intervention in Tripolitania and Morocco.^[9]

From 1911 to 1912, Italy and the Ottoman Empire fought a war over the Turkish provinces of Tripolitana and Cyrenaica, with the former emerging as the victor.^[10] During the conflict, Italian forces also occupied the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea. Italy agreed to return the Dodecanese to the Ottoman Empire in the Treaty of Ouchy^[11] in 1912. However, the vagueness of the text, combined with subsequent adverse events unfavourable to the Ottoman Empire (the outbreak of the Balkan Wars and World War I), allowed a provisional Italian administration of the islands, and Turkey eventually renounced all claims on these islands in Article 15 of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.^[12]

Turkish War of Independence and after

During the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923), Italy occupied Constantinople and a part of southwestern Anatolia but never fought the Turkish Army directly. During its occupation Italian troops protected Turkish civilians, who were living in the areas occupied by the Italian army, from Greek troops and accepted Turkish refugees who had to flee from the regions invaded by the Greek army.^[13] In July 1921 Italy began to withdraw its troops from southwestern Anatolia.

The

The Refah tragedy was a maritime disaster that took place during World War II, in June 1941, when the cargo steamer Refah of neutral Turkey, carrying Turkish military personnel from Mersin in Turkey to Port Said, Egypt, was sunk in eastern Mediterranean waters by a torpedo fired from an unidentified submarine. Of the 200 passengers and crew aboard, only 32 survived. A report published by the Italian Navy gives coordinates where the Italian submarine Ondina attacked vessels. The site of Refah's sinking matches that information.^[15] No country claimed responsibility for the attack on the Turkish ship. On 18 June 1941, Nazi Germany and Turkey signed the German–Turkish Treaty of Friendship.

In the 1990s, the diplomatic relations were very tense as Italy refused to extradite

Italy's presence in Turkey now consists of an embassy in Ankara, a General Consulate in İstanbul, and a consulate in İzmir, together with honorary consulates in Antalya, Bursa, Gaziantep, İskenderun, and Nevşehir, and a Consular Correspondent in Eskişehir.^[17]

Relations worsened after Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio condemned the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, declaring that the offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria is "unacceptable" and calling for an immediate end to the fighting.^[18] Italy joined an arms embargo against Turkey, despite previously being Turkey's primary EU weapons supplier.^[19][20]

Following a diplomatic incident dubbed as Sofagate in April 2021, Mario Draghi's remarks describing Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a "dictator" were heavily criticized by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.^[21] Erdogan condemned Draghi remark. As a result, relations deteriorated.

These two countries will co-host the UEFA Euro 2032 matches.

Intercultural influences

Italian culture in Turkey

Istanbul is home to one of the Italian Cultural Institutes opened throughout the world by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[22] The Institute, among other cultural activities, offers Italian language courses, also offered by a number of Turkish universities, such as Ankara University and Istanbul University.^[23]

İzmir and Ankara are hosts to, respectively, the Italian Culture Center "Carlo Goldoni"

A number of Italian schools are present in Turkey, with the great majority of them being located in Istanbul. Italian schools in Turkey include kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools.^[23]

Immigration

It is estimated that there are 30,000 to 40,000 Turks residing in Italy.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Foreign relations of Italy
• Foreign relations of Turkey
• Italians in Turkey
• Turks in Italy

References