Delhi: To further strengthen India-Italy friendship, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has invited Prime Minister Modi to visit Rome next year. The Prime Minister has accepted the invitation. No specific date for the visit has been announced yet.
Regarding his meeting with PM Modi, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, said, “…I extended an invitation to the Prime Minister on behalf of my Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to visit Italy. The answer was ‘yes’. In 2026, he will be in my country, Italy… The meeting with the Prime Minister was very positive. We discussed the excellent relations between India and Italy, the IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor). We also talked about industrial cooperation and peace. India is very important in pushing Russia towards an agreement on Ukraine. This is crucial. Strengthening cooperation for the next few years is also essential…” When asked about the possibility of the Italian PM visiting India, he said, “We haven’t decided ‘when’. During 2026…” It is worth noting that trade relations between India and Italy are continuously strengthening. Bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $14.56 billion in 2023-24. India exports engineering goods, electronics, and pharmaceuticals to Italy, while Italy contributes to India in sectors such as machinery, chemicals, and energy.
Both countries are also focusing on promoting technology and investment under a joint action plan for 2025-2029. Significant progress is being made in areas such as renewable energy and digitalization.
It may be recalled that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Italy last November. During his visit, he met with Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Following this meeting, several agreements were signed, including a migration partnership agreement and a cultural exchange program.
The two leaders also held extensive discussions on deepening their strategic partnership, as well as on the situation in West Asia, the conflict in Ukraine, and Indo-Pacific issues.
At the time, Jaishankar posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had a comprehensive and productive meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. They discussed the possibilities for deepening their strategic partnership. He added that both countries agreed to explore opportunities in agri-tech, innovation, space, defense, and the digital domain.
