PM Modi's Italy Visit

 

India, Italy seal defence pact, elevate their bilateral ties to a

‘special strategic partnership’




his first bilateral visit to Italy


Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Rome on 20 May 2026 was his first bilateral visit to Italy in 26 years. He had earlier attended a G7 summit in June 2024 and a G20 meeting in October 2021.





conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia

India and Italy have been in continuous contact over the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia 



said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, reiterating his call for “dialogue and diplomacy” to resolve the festering wars.


Delivering a press statement in Rome at the end of his multi-nation Europe trip, Mr. Modi described India-Italy relation as a “win-win partnership”, and welcomed the upgrade of bilateral ties to the level of “Special Strategic Partnership”.


dialogue and diplomacy


India has a clear position that all problems should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” Mr. Modi said in his press statement. “I am happy that we are upgrading our ties to the level of Special Strategic Partnership,” he said.



Special Strategic Partnership


The Ministry of External Affairs said that the Special Strategic Partnership will lead to strengthened cooperation in 

  • trade, 
  • technology, 
  • defence, 
  • clean energy 
  • innovation 
  • field of mobility of skilled and non-skilled workers through safe and secure channels.

About India – Italy Relations   


Historical Connect: 

Italian port cities were important trading posts on the ancient spice route. 
  • The Venetian merchant Marco Polo 

    during his travels to the east, travelled to India in the 13th century.

Strategic: 

  • Both countries became Strategic Partners in 2023 with enhanced cooperation in Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean regions with Italy joining India-led initiatives such as Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). 

  • Italy exited China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)   

    in 2023 after joining it in 2019 as the only G7 member. This aligns with India's efforts to counter China's growing dominance in Europe.

Economic: 

  • Italy is India's 4th largest trading partner in the EU after Germany, Belgium and Netherlands.

  • Bilateral trade in 2023-24 reached US$ 14.56 billion with India's exports at US$ 8.76 billion.

  • Italy ranks 18th in terms of FDI inflows into India during April 2000 to June 2024.


Defence and Security:  

Signed the Defence Cooperation Agreement (2023) to enhance collaboration in research, industrial cooperation, and maritime domain awareness along with holding regular talks via platforms like the Italy-India Military Cooperation Group.
  • Collaboration on counter-terrorism through bilateral and multilateral forums like the UN, Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) and Financial Action Task force (FATF).
  • Environment and Climate: India-led initiatives joined by Italy include International Solar Alliance (ISA), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA).
  • People-to-people ties: 

  • Italy hosts the second largest Indian diaspora in the EU estimated at 2 lakhs including PIOs.
  • Both side signed a Migration and Mobility Agreement in 2023 to facilitate temporary residence for Indian students up to 12 months after their graduation. 

AREAS OF COOPERATIONS 

  • Connectivity: Enhance collaboration on maritime and land infrastructure within the framework of India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
  • Science and Technology: Agreed on expanding cooperation in critical technologies like AI & digitalization, with implementation of 2025-27 Executive Programme for Scientific & Technological Cooperation.
    • Introduced a new Indo-Italian Innovation and Incubation Exchange Program to foster academic & industrial collaboration.
  • Space Sector: Expand Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) collaboration on Earth observation, heliophysics, and space exploration, with emphasis on lunar science.
  • Energy Transition:  Both countries agreed on organizing "Tech Summits" & strengthening alliances like Global Biofuels Alliance & International Solar Alliance. 
  • Defense cooperation: Decided to hold annual Joint Defense Consultative (JDC) meetings & Joint Staff Talks (JST) to improve coordination in defense matters.
    • Discussed establishing a Defense Industrial Roadmap to foster cooperation in defense manufacturing.

Agriculture research




 “Defence Industrial Road Map”

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 

  • cooperation in critical minerals

     
  •  cooperation between the Italian Corps of the Guardia di Finanza and the Directorate of Enforcement.



agriculture and agricultural research


A Joint Statement issued on the occasion of Mr. Modi’s visit announced that the two sides have signed an agreement on agriculture and agricultural research that will connect Ministries and institutions of India and Italy.


Indo-Pacific




The two sides also expressed commitment “to a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, in line with international law, including United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”



On the Gulf situation



 they called for 

  • “freedom of navigation 
  • the resumption of global flows through Strait of Hormuz”.


India-Africa Forum Summit 



In a significant push, ahead of the India-Africa Forum Summit-4, the two sides said they have agreed work on selected projects trilaterally in Africa.


India is hosting the 

  • 4th India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-IV) 

  • in New Delhi on May 31, 2026, 

  • marking the first leader-level gathering between the two regions in 11 years. 

  • The event is preceded by Senior Officials and Foreign Ministers' meetings from May 28 to May 29


In this regard, the Joint Statement said, “Recognising the strategic priority both countries attach to Africa, the two Prime Ministers agreed to work together in trilateral initiatives with African partners in areas such as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), agriculture, education, healthcare, artificial intelligence, connectivity and infrastructure and renewable energy in line with India’s development partnership in Africa and Italy’s Mattei Plan.”


Mr. Modi was conferred with the Agricola Medal for 2026 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, at the FAO headquarters in Rome.



Source the hindu

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  The Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand reflects India’s evolving trade diplomacy strategy India concluded a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Zealand   DATE OF STATRT  in December 2025, at a time marked by fractured supply chains and rising protectionist tendencies among nations. Guided by the vision of “Viksit Bharat”,  India has recalibrated its foreign trade policy, transitioning from a cautious, tariff-focused negotiator to a strategic, high-velocity partner.  Viksit Bharat (Developed India) 2047 is the Government of India's comprehensive vision to transform the nation into a fully developed, self-reliant, and prosperous country by its 100th anniversary of independence in 2047 . It focuses on economic growth, sustainable infrastructure, social inclusion, and good governance, with an aim to achieve a USD 30–40 trillion economy. There are six key wins for India   in this FTA, as it aligns with the Viksit Bharat blueprint for trade policy based on ...
Read more

Karnataka govt. unveils digital grievance portal for gig workers

Image
  In a first, Karnataka govt.  unveils digital grievance  portal for gig workers In this article -  Who are Gig workers  ? WHY IN NEWS -  Integrated Public Grievance Redressal System (IPGRS) portal Transparency -  WHAT THEY CAN DO ? gig workers can now officially Internal Dispute Resolution Committee (IDRC)  Challenges for Gig Workers How Is India Addressing the Challenges of the Gig Economy? Who are Gig workers  ?  Definition: The Code on Social Security, 2020,  defines a gig worker as a person who works outside a traditional employer-employee relationship.  Types : platform and non-platform-based workers. Platform workers  are those whose work is based on online apps or digital platforms. E.g., Ola, Uber, Zomato, Swiggy, Urban Company, etc. Non-platform gig workers  are generally casual wage workers and own account workers in the conventional sectors, working part-time or full time. Reasons for growth:  Demogra...
Read more
Image
  India’s first and deepest geothermal wells at Puga Valley in Ladakh Subject:  Policy and Science & Technology Why in the news? In a move towards the Clean India mission, the country’s  first and deepest two geothermal wells (1,000 m) at Puga Valley in Ladakh  were inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on 17th July.  Executed by the   Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Energy Centre, this marks a major milestone towards PM’s vision of  Carbon-Neutral Ladakh  and towards setting up India’s first geothermal power project. Key takeaways: 1. The two geothermal wells are   critical for the successful implementation of the 1 MW pilot geothermal power project at Puga, which will be India’s first demonstration-scale geothermal power project.  These two wells at 1000-meter-deep are commissioned at the height of over 14,000 feet.  Created using AI 2.  National Policy on Geothermal Energy 2025 To utilize the thermal energy...
Read more