ROME, June 25, 2025 – The official establishment of the Italo-Turkish Business Association (AIIT) is announced today. This strategic body is dedicated to consolidating and developing commercial and institutional relations between the Italian Republic and the Republic of Türkiye.
The Association assumes a prominent international role thanks to the official mandate conferred by the TÜRKONFED Group (Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation), Türkiye’s largest business organization, representing 100,000 companies and 83% of the country’s foreign trade. The presidency of AIIT has been entrusted to Giuseppe Laghezza Masci, a veteran promoter of major international networking initiatives.

The “Region to Region” Strategy
The operational heart of AIIT lies in its innovative “Region to Region” approach. The project aims to directly connect the 20 Italian Regions with the 26 Regional Federations of TÜRKONFED, bypassing bureaucratic delays and creating direct corridors for the internationalization of SMEs (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises).

“AIIT is not just an association, but an operational facilitator,” stated President Giuseppe Laghezza Masci. “Our goal is to bring the excellence of Italian territories directly into Turkish production districts. We will begin in February 2026 with a pilot project in L’Aquila, Abruzzo, before extending the model to all regional entities, with particular focus on synergies with the Republic of San Marino.”

Towards the February 2026 Pilot Event
The official launch of activities will take place with an institutional mission to the Abruzzo Region, where TÜRKONFED leadership will meet with local production entities to initiate the first bilingual technical matching sessions.

AIIT stands as the only accredited interlocutor in Italy for companies looking to Türkiye as a target market and logistical hub for the Euro-Asian area, and for Turkish investors interested in the Italian industrial landscape.