Turkish President Erdogan meets Italian Premier Meloni in Vilnius

Baku, July 12, AZERTAC

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the ongoing NATO summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

According the Anadolu Agency, the closed-door meeting took place at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre (LITEXPO), the venue of the two-day NATO meeting that began earlier in the day.

Earlier, Erdogan also met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The 31 leaders of the military alliance are meeting to discuss the Ukraine war, Sweden's NATO membership, and steps to strengthen the group's defense and deterrence, among other issues.

Türkiye has been a NATO member for over 70 years, and boasts its second-largest army.