Italy to boost ties with Turkey after Meloni-Erdogan talks in Rome
Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pledged on Tuesday to promote economic cooperation and deepen energy and defence ties between the two Mediterranean countries, according to AFP.
"Today we signed a joint declaration that sets a new and truly ambitious target of reaching €40 billion in trade in the medium term," Meloni said after the talks.
"The goal we're seeking with our Turkish partners is to reinforce European and Mediterranean industrial autonomy," she added.
Italy is Turkey's second-largest commercial partner in Europe, with bilateral trade worth over €28 billion in 2024, according to Rome.
Tuesday’s summit aimed to “strengthen the cooperation and strategic partnership between the two nations" and foster "economic and trade relations," a Rome government source said.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union has sought deeper security ties with Turkey, a NATO member and a long-time candidate to join the 27-nation bloc.
In recent years, Ankara has also played a leading role in helping stem irregular migration to Europe in return for billions of euros worth of investments from Brussels.
Italian cardinal to sit out conclave after embezzlement conviction
Angelo Becciu, an Italian cardinal convicted of embezzlement and stripped of his privileges by Pope Francis in 2020, confirmed on Tuesday that he won’t take part in the conclave to elect a new pontiff.
Becciu said in a statement that he would abide by the late pontiff's will, ending days of speculation on whether he would join other cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel on May 7th.
"I have decided to obey, as I have always done, the will of Pope Francis not to enter into conclave," Becciu said.
Though he continued to protest his innocence, the 76-year-old said he had “the good of the Church" at heart and had decided to take a step back "to contribute to the communion and serenity of the Conclave”.
Becciu – once considered a papal contender himself – was removed from office and stripped of his cardinal "rights and privileges" in September 2020.
He subsequently went on trial along with nine others in a case focused on a disastrous Vatican investment in a luxury building in London.
He was sentenced to five years and six months in jail for financial crimes in 2023 but later appealed the conviction.
Becciu had reportedly been pushing to take part in the conclave, but Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was secretary of state under Francis, presented him with two documents signed by the Argentine pontiff demanding that he sit out the vote, according to Italian media.
The letters were written in 2023 and last month, according to the Domani newspaper.
Final stage of Giro d'Italia race to pay tribute to Pope Francis
The Giro d'Italia – one of road cycling's most prestigious races along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana – will pay homage to Pope Francis during the final stage of this year's edition, organisers confirmed on Tuesday.
For the first time in its history, Giro riders will ride through the Vatican on Sunday, June 1st before crossing the finish line on Rome's Via dei Fori Imperiali.
"It will be a very special moment after Pope Francis' death, a death that affected us all," Umberto Cairo, the president of Giro d’Italia owner RCS, told reporters.
"Pope Francis had this particular interest in sport, and it's a way of remembering him, of paying homage to him," the head of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Paul Tighe, said.
The 108th edition of the Giro is set to begin in Durres, Albania on May 9th.
Giro champion Tadej Pogacar will not take part in this year's edition as he's chosen to focus on the Tour de France, which is scheduled to start on July 5th in Lille.
Cardinal electors will meet in the Sistine Chapel on May 7th to elect the new leader of the Catholic Church following Francis's death on April 21st.
With reporting from AFP.
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