Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday elevated bilateral ties to a “Special Strategic Partnership”, unveiling an ambitious roadmap for cooperation in defence, innovation, manufacturing, logistics and maritime sectors.
“I am pleased that we are announcing the Special Strategic Partnership as we upgrade our relations,” Modi said during a joint press statement after talks with Meloni in Rome.
Thanking Meloni for the “grand welcome” accorded to him and his delegation, Modi drew a civilisational parallel between Rome and his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.
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“Rome is known as the ‘Eternal City’ in the world. My Lok Sabha constituency in India, Kashi, is also known similarly. When two civilisations meet, discussions are not limited to an agenda, but the depth of history, a glimpse of the future and the simplicity of friendship can be seen in it,” he said.
Meloni described the visit as a “historic day” for India-Italy relations and noted that this was Modi’s first bilateral visit to Italy since assuming office in 2014, while the last such visit by an Indian Prime Minister took place in 2000.
“Today, with this visit, not only are we bridging this gap but together, we have decided to revitalise our relations,” she said, adding that ties had now reached their “highest level ever”.
The two leaders emphasised growing strategic convergence and expanding defence cooperation.
“We've worked on many initiatives. We are working on defence cooperation. India and Italy are strengthening ties,” Meloni said.
Modi said he had met Meloni several times over the past three-and-a-half years, reflecting the “close cooperation and harmony” between the two countries.
“Under her leadership, our relations have gained new momentum, new direction and new self-confidence,” he said.
The Prime Minister announced plans for setting up an India-Italy Innovation Centre and said both countries would work together in shipping, logistics and the blue economy.
Highlighting complementary economic strengths, Modi said Italy was globally known for “design and precision”, while India had emerged as a “powerhouse of scale, talent and affordable innovation”.
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“Therefore, we will move forward on the principle of ‘Design and Develop in India and Italy and Deliver for the World’,” he said.
The Prime Minister also thanked Italy for its cooperation on the proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement and noted that more than 800 Italian companies were contributing to India’s growth story.
Modi added that there was rising interest in Italy towards Indian yoga, Ayurveda and cuisine, underlining growing people-to-people connect between the two nations.
In a post on social media platform X after the talks, Modi described his discussions with Meloni as “excellent” and praised her commitment towards strengthening bilateral ties.
