Last Updated on May 20, 2026 7:58 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
AMN / NEWS DESK
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced a major elevation in India’s ties with Giorgia Meloni, with both countries agreeing to upgrade their relationship to a “Special Strategic Partnership” aimed at boosting trade, industrial cooperation, technology partnerships and global supply chain integration.
Addressing a joint press statement in Rome after delegation-level talks with his Italian counterpart, Mr Modi said the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029 would serve as a forward-looking roadmap to expand economic and strategic engagement between the two nations. The agreement places strong emphasis on innovation, advanced manufacturing, defence production, logistics, shipping and sustainable development.
Highlighting the growing economic complementarity between the two countries, Mr Modi said Italy’s global reputation in design, precision engineering and high-end manufacturing aligns well with India’s strengths in large-scale production, skilled manpower and cost-effective innovation. He said both nations would jointly pursue the vision of “Design and Develop in India and Italy, Deliver for the World,” signalling a push toward export-oriented industrial collaboration.
The Prime Minister said both sides are working toward establishing an India-Italy Innovation Centre to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, startups, research and industrial innovation. The initiative is expected to create opportunities for technology transfer, joint ventures and investment partnerships between companies from the two countries.
In a major industrial and strategic move, Mr Modi said the India-Italy Defence Industrial Roadmap would encourage co-development and co-production of defence equipment, opening new possibilities for manufacturing partnerships under India’s self-reliance and defence export ambitions. Analysts view the agreement as an effort to integrate Indian firms into European defence and technology supply chains.
The two leaders also discussed expanding cooperation in shipping, port modernisation, logistics and the blue economy, sectors considered crucial for strengthening maritime trade connectivity and infrastructure investment. Enhanced collaboration in these areas is expected to support India’s ambitions of becoming a major global logistics and manufacturing hub.
Mr Modi also appreciated Italy’s support for stronger India-Europe engagement and underlined the importance of cooperation in clean energy, sustainable development and advanced technologies. He said the bilateral partnership has gained “new momentum, direction and confidence” under the leadership of Ms Meloni.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the elevation of ties reflects the growing maturity of India-Italy relations and their untapped economic potential. She noted that the partnership is built on mutual trust and shared strategic interests, adding that both countries are now in a position to realise the full scope of cooperation in trade, industry, connectivity and global governance.
While strategic and security issues including the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine and West Asia also figured in the discussions, the overall focus of the summit remained on expanding economic integration, industrial cooperation and long-term business partnerships between India and Italy.