Modi, Meloni say India-Italy ties entering ‘decisive stage’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni have said relations between India and Italy have entered a “decisive stage”, with the partnership expanding beyond cordial ties into a special strategic relationship.

In a joint article written for Indian and Italian media, the two leaders said the partnership is being shaped by regular political and institutional engagement at a time of major global change.

Modi is currently in Italy as part of the final leg of his five-nation tour.

The leaders said bilateral ties are gaining a broader dimension by combining the economic strengths, social creativity and civilisational heritage of both countries.

“The relationship between India and Italy has now reached a decisive stage. In recent years, our ties have expanded with unprecedented momentum, evolving from a cordial friendship into a special strategic partnership grounded in the values of freedom and democracy, and a common vision for the future,” they said.

According to the two leaders, cooperation between India and Italy reflects a growing recognition that prosperity and security in the 21st century will depend on innovation, energy transition management and strategic sovereignty.

They said both countries are committed to expanding and diversifying bilateral cooperation by combining their complementary strengths.

“We aim to forge a powerful synergy between Italian design, manufacturing excellence, and world-class supercomputers — reflecting Italy’s position as an industrial powerhouse — and India’s rapid economic growth, engineering talent, scale, and innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem with over 100 unicorns and 200,000 start-ups,” they said.

The two leaders said the partnership represents a “co-creation of value” in which the industrial strengths of both countries reinforce one another.

Referring to the proposed Free Trade Agreement between India and the European Union, Modi and Meloni said it would help increase trade and investment flows between the two countries.

“We want to reach and exceed the Euro 20 billion target for trade between Italy and India by 2029, with a focus on defence & aerospace, clean technologies, machinery, automotive components, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, agri-food, tourism and more,” they said.

The article said “Made in Italy” and India’s “Make in India” initiative share natural complementarities, particularly in high-quality manufacturing.

The leaders also pointed to growing business engagement from both countries, with more than 1,000 Indian and Italian companies operating across the two markets.

They said increasing investments and industrial presence would help strengthen supply chain integration.

Technology and innovation, they added, are central pillars of the partnership, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals and digital infrastructure.

The leaders said India’s innovation ecosystem and skilled workforce complement Italy’s industrial capabilities, making cooperation in advanced technology sectors “natural and strategic”.

“The growing partnership between our Universities and Research Centres will support this. India’s Digital Public Infrastructure is already finding resonance with a large number of countries particularly in the Global South,” they said.

On artificial intelligence, Modi and Meloni said both countries have worked together to ensure that technological development remains responsible and centred on people.

India and Italy also see AI as a tool for inclusive growth, especially in developing countries where digital public infrastructure and multilingual technologies can help reduce inequalities, they said.

“Building on India’s vision of MANAV — putting human at the centre of technology – and Italy’s leadership in promoting a human-centric ‘algor-ethics’ rooted in its humanist tradition, our partnership seeks to ensure that AI acts as a catalyst for social empowerment,” they said.

The leaders said their joint approach combines India’s digital scale with Italy’s ethical and industrial expertise to ensure that technology protects human dignity.

They added that cooperation in cyber infrastructure, digital systems and capacity building would help create “an open, trustworthy and equitable digital space” in which all countries can benefit from AI.

The article said this approach also forms part of Italy’s G7 presidency priorities and the outcomes of the AI Impact Summit 2026 held in New Delhi.

Modi and Meloni said AI should remain a tool created by humans for humans and should not undermine rights or democratic institutions.

“Our approach to defending freedom and human dignity in an increasingly interconnected world hinges on this very challenge,” they said.

The two leaders also highlighted growing cooperation in the space sector, saying India’s advances in satellite technology and space exploration complement Italy’s aerospace engineering capabilities.

They said both countries plan to strengthen ties in defence, security and strategic technologies.

“Our collaboration will help ensure the security of critical maritime routes, strengthen resilience in the face of threats, such as terrorism, international criminal networks, drug trafficking, cyber-crimes and human trafficking,” they said.

Energy cooperation was identified as another major area of engagement.

“Our collaboration along with other countries in key India-led initiatives — International Solar Alliance (ISA), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) — is also important in this context,” they said.

The leaders also underlined the importance of connectivity, saying India and Italy occupy strategic positions in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean regions.

They said the growing links between the two regions are creating what they described as an “Indo-Mediterranean” space connecting trade, energy, technology, data and ideas.

“It is precisely within this interconnected space that our bond naturally evolves into a special strategic partnership — one that bridges two continents and shapes new global dynamics,” they said.

The article also highlighted the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), describing it as a major connectivity initiative linking transport, digital networks, energy systems and supply chains.

India and Italy, they said, are committed to working with international partners to advance the project.

“We can address our shared challenges by drawing upon the profound partnership and the enduring cultural ties between our nations,” they said.

The two leaders also referred to shared cultural and philosophical values.

Within Indian culture, they said, “Dharma” reflects responsibility in public action, while “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” — the world is one family — carries relevance in an interconnected global era.

They said these ideas resonate with Italy’s humanist tradition rooted in the Renaissance, which emphasises human dignity and the role of culture in connecting societies.

“Our shared vision, therefore, aims to lay the foundation for a strong and forward-looking India-Italy Partnership with our people at the centre,” the two leaders said.