The Meloni government has given the green light to the acquisition of the aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aerospace by the Turkish group Baykar, a giant of military drones, whose CEO, Selcuk Bayraktar, is the son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
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With our correspondent in Rome, Anne Le Nir
Piaggio Aerospace, which employs 800 people at its two sites in Liguria, in northern Italy, had been under state supervision since December 2018 due to financial problems. Reactions in Italy oscillate between satisfaction and doubts about the future of the company.
“ Baykar is committed to maintaining and developing aircraft production, as well as maintenance and engine component production activities, in Italy »: these are the words in which the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, announced the sale of Piaggio Aerospace to the Turkish group.
Regretting that no Italian group has considered taking over “ one of the industrial excellences of the country », the unions request the convening of a meeting at the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy to study the industrial plan.
The Fratelli d’Italia party Giorgia Meloni and the League of Matteo Salviniwho nevertheless advocate national sovereignty, declare themselves “ very satisfied » of the Turkish solution. But the Democratic Party emphasizes that “ Baykar is an instrument of Erdogan’s international policy » and believes that “ investment in Italy aims above all to protect Turkey’s interests “.
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