India and Italy on Wednesday decided to elevate bilateral relations to a special strategic partnership during the delegation-level meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and host Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“I am delighted that we are upgrading our relations to a special strategic partnership,” Modi said in his media statement. “The India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 provides a practical and futuristic framework for our partnership. We are progressing on it in a timely manner. Through our joint efforts, bilateral trade is rapidly moving towards the target of 20 billion euros,” he said.
They agreed to hold annual meetings of leaders, including on the sidelines of multilateral events, as well as regular ministerial and institutional-level engagements. The two leaders, according to Meloni, have met seven times over the past three-and-a-half years. Their personal dynamics were captured in Wednesday’s “Melodi” moment when Modi gifted Meloni a bag of the chocolate-caramel toffee Melody.
The Melody moment clearly overshadowed everything that preceded and followed, so much so that the press briefing at the end of the day had few takers and fewer questions.
According to the joint statement issued after the meeting, the two leaders agreed to encourage dialogue and cooperation among stock exchanges, investment funds, venture capital, banks, insurance companies and financial institutions.
A memorandum of understanding for cooperation in critical minerals was signed in their presence, and the two sides agreed to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in this field by establishing a structured framework for collaboration, with particular emphasis on sustainability and resilient supply chains.
They underscored the importance of promoting joint efforts in the recovery of critical minerals from unconventional sources, including electronic waste and mine tailings, as an integral component of circular economy initiatives.
The two sides have also agreed to enhance mobility of students, researchers and skilled workers, particularly in STEM sectors, and expand cooperation on skills development, in line with the needs of the labour market, including through a specific joint declaration of intent on the facilitation of mobility of nurses from India to Italy.
Discussions are ongoing between relevant agencies on a Social Security Agreement. They also discussed the possibility of strengthening cooperation to fight against irregular migration, labour exploitation and human trafficking to ensure safe and legal migration.
Recognising the strategic priority both countries attach to Africa, the Prime Ministers, according to the joint statement, have agreed to work together in trilateral initiatives with African partners in areas such as digital public infrastructure, 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. Launched by Meloni, the Mattei Plan seeks to recast Italy’s engagement in Africa and is branded as a non-predatory alternative to traditional top-down aid models of economic diplomacy.
Both Modi and Meloni expressed deep concern over the situation in West Asia and its effects in the region and the rest of the world. While welcoming the ceasefire of April 8, they underlined the importance of de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy for a lasting peace in the region. They also called for freedom of navigation and the resumption of global fuel flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Modi also asserted that India and Italy are unanimous that terrorism poses a serious challenge to humanity and that the joint initiative between the two sides against terror financing has set an important example for the entire world. “India and Italy have sent a clear message that responsible democracies not only condemn terrorism but also take concrete steps to disrupt its financial networks,” he said.