New Delhi— Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that India and Italy are seeing steady growth in their strategic partnership, following his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In a post on X, Modi described the discussions with Meloni as “very good” and said the relationship between the two countries continues to expand in ways that benefit citizens in both nations.
“We discussed further advancing our cooperation in sectors such as trade, investment, defence, innovation, AI, space and education,” Modi wrote in a second post. He added that India and Italy are launching a joint initiative focused on combating the financing of terrorism, calling it a necessary step to strengthen global efforts against terror networks.
No additional details of the talks were released, but Modi’s comments underscore the steady progress in bilateral cooperation. India and Italy have increased engagement in areas including defence collaboration, clean energy, mobility agreements, and economic ties. The two leaders have met several times over the past two years, both bilaterally and on the sidelines of international summits.
The strategic partnership between India and Italy was formalized in 2023. Since then, both governments have emphasized broader cooperation in industrial development, skilled migration pathways, climate initiatives, and start-up ecosystems. Trade and private-sector engagement have also been areas of growing focus, with recent ministerial-level discussions highlighting interest in sectors such as semiconductors, digital technologies, infrastructure and agriculture.
Meloni has maintained regular diplomatic engagement with India, meeting Modi at multilateral events including the recent G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, where the two leaders held brief talks ahead of the opening session. They last met in June on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada.
Modi and Meloni have also publicly expressed mutual regard in recent months. In September, Modi wrote a preface to the Italian prime minister’s autobiography, noting shared perspectives between the two countries. Meloni has similarly spoken of the strength of India–Italy ties.
Modi’s latest remarks indicate continuity in the bilateral agenda, with both governments projecting confidence in the direction of the strategic partnership. (Source: IANS)
