Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day tour of Italy these days. On Tuesday, he reached Rome on the last leg of his five-nation tour, where Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni welcomed him warmly. Meloni shared a picture with the Prime Minister on social media and wrote, “Welcome my friend.”
Actually, Prime Minister Modi and Italy PM Meloni’s meetings hold more importance than formal diplomatic meetings. In the last few years, both the leaders have given a new direction to India-Italy relations. The relations between the two countries, once limited to limited trade relations, have now reached major strategic issues like defence, technology, energy, AI and global supply chain.
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As soon as Prime Minister Modi reached Rome, he also told his agenda. “The visit will focus on how to strengthen cooperation between India and Italy, with special attention to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC),” he said in an ex-post.
Also read: ‘Welcome to Rome my friend’, Modi-Meloni’s new selfie went viral as soon as they reached Italy
Modi-Meloni’s first meeting in Bali
This new partnership is considered to be started from the G20 summit held in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022. At that time Meloni had recently become the Prime Minister of Italy. In the first meeting of the two leaders, it was clear that India and Italy want to start a new era. In this meeting, it was agreed to increase participation of green energy, green hydrogen and Italian manufacturing companies in India.
Strategic Partnership between India and Italy
After this, Meloni came to India in March 2023 and became the chief guest at Raisina Dialogue. This was the turning point where the relationship between the two countries officially got the status of “Strategic Partnership”. During this, defense cooperation agreement was signed. Under this, both the countries agreed to increase joint military exercises, secure intelligence sharing and anti-terrorism cooperation. The way for co-production of military equipment in India also opened up for big Italian defense companies.
Italy, part of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
During the G20 conference held in New Delhi in September 2023, relations between the two countries reached another level. Italy became part of India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor i.e. IMEC. The purpose of this corridor is to create a new trade and maritime network connecting India with Europe. During this time, Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement was also finalized, which increased opportunities for Indian students, researchers and skilled professionals in Italy.
Agreement on AI, space technology, critical minerals
Prime Minister Modi and Georgia Meloni met again at the G7 conference held in Italy in June 2024. Here the focus of the conversation was on future technology. Both countries decided to increase cooperation in AI, space technology, critical minerals, telecom and clean energy supply chain. Besides, agreements related to industrial property rights i.e. patents and designs were also signed.
Meloni-Modi meeting in G-20
After this, in the G20 conference held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November 2024, both the countries launched a five-year joint strategic action plan for 2025-2029. This was considered the biggest roadmap till date, in which 10 big sectors including defence, technology, energy, education, trade and global cooperation were included.
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During the G20 conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa in November 2025, a very important agreement against terrorism was reached in the meeting of Prime Minister Modi and Italian Prime Minister Meloni. Both countries launched “India-Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism”, the objective of which was to curb the funding of terrorist organizations.
Meloni had openly expressed solidarity with India after the high-profile terrorist attack in Delhi. Under this initiative, both the countries agreed to stop illegal funding of terrorists and cross-border financial networks, increase surveillance on suspicious transactions and strengthen mutual coordination on international forums like FATF and Global Counterterrorism Forum.
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Agreement on “Indo-Mediterranean Corridor”
Now this visit of Prime Minister Modi to Rome in May 2026 is believed to further deepen the relations between the two countries. During this period the concept of “Indo-Mediterranean Corridor” has been formalized. Its objective is to strengthen maritime trade and strategic connectivity from the Indian Ocean to Europe. Besides, a big agreement has also been reached regarding AI, in which an attempt has been made to bring together Italy’s “Algor-Ethics” model and India’s “Human Centric AI” thinking.
Experts believe that this increasing closeness between India and Italy is not just the story of the relations between the two countries, but is also a sign of changing global politics. On one hand, India wants to strengthen its strategic hold in Europe, while Italy sees India as a reliable and stable partner in Asia.
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