PM Modi, Meloni elevate India-Italy ties to Special Strategic Partnership

PM Narendra Modi returned from his five-nation tour, concluding in Italy. He met Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, elevating bilateral ties to a 'Special Strategic Partnership' and signing MoUs in defence, tech, and trade.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Delhi airport on Thursday after concluding his five-nation visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.

The Prime Minister's final stop was Italy, where he held extensive talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and elevated bilateral ties to a "Special Strategic Partnership."

Deepening India-Italy Cooperation

In a post on X after concluding the Italy visit, PM Modi said his discussions with Meloni covered a wide range of sectors and would add new momentum to India-Italy cooperation. "A key outcome of the visit was our decision to elevate India-Italy ties to a Special Strategic Partnership, which will add new momentum to our cooperation in the years to come," the Prime Minister said.

During the visit, PM Modi also shared glimpses of what became a widely discussed "Melody moment," where he gifted a packet of "Melody" toffees to Meloni.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as regional and global developments, including the situation in West Asia and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Sibi George, said the leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across sectors, including trade and investment, defence and security, science and technology, research and innovation, energy, space, artificial intelligence, education, culture and people-to-people ties.

Several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were also signed during the visit in areas such as defence, connectivity, agriculture, traditional medicine, education, mobility and critical technologies.

George further said that both countries have set a target of increasing bilateral trade to Euro 20 billion by 2029, aided by the conclusion of India-European Union Free Trade Agreement negotiations earlier this year.

Before concluding the tour in Italy, Prime Minister Modi visited the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway as part of his five-country outreach.

PM's Agenda on Return

Following his return, PM Modi is scheduled to chair a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Sewa Teerth in the national capital at 5 pm on Thursday, sources said. The meeting is expected to serve as an important midterm review of the government's performance and comes amid concerns over rising global fuel prices and energy security due to the ongoing West Asia conflict and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.

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