Italy and India decide to upgrade their relationship to a special strategic alliance.
PM Modi spoke with Italian President Sergio Mattarella ahead of bilateral negotiations over trade, investment, and cultural ties as well as other facets of India-Italy friendship.
Ankush Pandey
Following discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian colleague, India and Italy agreed to strengthen their relationship to a special strategic partnership and expand collaboration in areas of commerce, investment, and new technology. The Giorgia Meloni.
After speaking with Meloni, PM Modi remarked in a joint press release, "We deliberated extensively on enhancing India-Italy ties."
PM Modi received a ceremonial military honor upon arriving in Rome on Tuesday night (May 20, 2026) to meet with Ms. Meloni as part of the last leg of his five-nation tour.
PM Modi visited Italian President Sergio Mattarella prior to bilateral negotiations and spoke with him about various facets of the friendship between Italy and India, such as trade, investment, and cultural ties. They also talked about cooperation in fields like nuclear energy, space, crucial minerals, and artificial intelligence.
PM Modi had already stated that the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) will be the main focus of his tour.
Italian PM Meloni and PM Modi's Video Shared by Melodi Team
He said that the two parties will examine the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, a thorough road map for collaboration in a number of areas, in a social media post.
Ms. Meloni hosted PM Modi for dinner and took him to the famous Colosseum shortly after his arrival on Tuesday night, May 20, 2026, in preparation for their official discussions intended to strengthen India-Italy relations.
In recent years, the two leaders have remained closely involved; in 2023, Ms. Meloni will travel to India for the G20 Summit.
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Recent years have seen an increase in economic interaction between Italy and India, with bilateral trade expected to reach €14.25 billion in 2025.
Italy's exports to India totaled Euro 5.70 billion in 2025, up 9.42 percent from 2024, while India's exports totaled Euro 8.55 billion.
By 2029, the two nations hope to have €20 billion in bilateral trade per year.
Italy has designated India as one of the priority nations under its global trade policy and is India's fourth-largest economic partner in the European Union.
With an estimated population of 1,86,833 as of January 2025, the Italian Indian community is the largest Indian diaspora group in the European Union. There are currently more than 5,100 Indian students enrolled in Italian universities.
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