Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi will co-chair the summit, the first such event ever to be held between Turkey and Italy.

"As part of the strategic partnership that has been established between our two countries, the Italian government decided to hold regular summits with Turkey," said a statement from the Italian Embassy in Ankara, the Turkish capital.

Italian foreign minister, minister of interior, minister of defense, minister of transportation and minister of economy and development are also expected to participate at the summit.

The two countries' foreign minsters will sign an agreement to found a Turkish-Italian university in Istanbul.

Hurriyet