Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the elevation of India-Italy ties to a 'special strategic partnership' during their joint press conference in Rome on Wednesday. As reported by ANI, PM Modi stated that India and Italy are closer than ever and emphasized that India-Italy joint strategic action plan 2025-2029 gives our ties a practical and futuristic framework. The Prime Minister noted that both countries have been maintaining constant communication regarding conflicts in Ukraine, West Asia, and other tensions, with terrorism being a serious challenge for humanity that requires coordinated global response. The latest joint declaration reaffirms their shared commitment to a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, in line with international law, including UNCLOS, with both leaders looking forward to continued partnership in Science and Technology and Academic cooperation pillar of Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiatives.
PM Modi announced significant new initiatives in defence and innovation during the joint press conference. According to ANI, an India-Italy innovation centre is in the works and will be launched soon, demonstrating the practical nature of the strategic partnership. The latest developments include the announcement of INNOVIT India, an innovation hub located in India aimed at strengthening cooperation between the respective innovation ecosystems, supporting startup acceleration programs, market access and business matching in sectors including fintech, healthcare, semiconductors, logistics and supply chains, agritech, energy, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. PM Modi highlighted that cooperation has increased between New Delhi and Rome, especially in defence, noting that India and Italy being maritime powers, the close cooperation is necessary in connectivity. The joint declaration establishes a Joint Declaration of Intent and a Defence Industrial Roadmap which will promote partnerships for technological cooperation, co-production and co-development projects, including helicopters, naval platforms, marine armament and electronic warfare.
PM Modi highlighted the shared initiative against terror financing that India and Italy have undertaken, which he described as presenting an important example before the entire world. The latest joint declaration strongly condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross border terrorism, with both leaders strongly condemning the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and reiterating their commitment to cooperate in the fight against terrorists and terrorist groups. Both countries have welcomed the first meeting of the Permanent Task Force between India and Italy on countering the financing of terrorism and the upcoming meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism. The leaders called upon all countries to continue working towards eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and combating the financing of terrorism, consistent with the Financial Action Task Force's guidelines.
The Prime Minister announced a significant cultural exchange program during his remarks. According to ANI, next year, the Year of Culture will be celebrated to mark the 80th anniversary of India-Italy relations, which will strengthen cultural ties and people-to-people exchanges. The latest developments include welcoming the signing of an MoU regarding Italy's participation in the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal and acknowledging the Indian National Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale in 2026. PM Modi noted that ancient languages like Sanskrit and Latin come from the same language family, emphasizing that their relationship extends beyond diplomatic ties to shared heritage. The joint declaration expresses intention to celebrate 2027 as the "Year of Culture and Tourism between Italy and India", featuring a broad calendar of initiatives and paving the way to a major exhibition on ancient cultural relations between Italy and India to be co-organized by the two Ministries of Culture.
PM Modi's visit to Rome marked the final leg of his five-nation tour following engagements in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. According to ANI, the Prime Minister thanked the Italian leadership for its support and expressed confidence in further strengthening bilateral ties across political, economic, and cultural domains. The latest joint declaration expresses satisfaction at the growing dynamism of bilateral economic and industrial cooperation, with three high level business fora held since the last year. Both leaders reaffirmed the shared objective of expanding bilateral trade in both direction with aim to reach to € 20 billion by 2029, building on the opportunities arising from India's rapid and consistent economic growth and the successful conclusion of the negotiations for the EU–India Free Trade Agreement. The joint statement reinforced the deepening civilisational and cultural ties between the two nations, with PM Modi expressing confidence in continuing win-win cooperation and inviting Prime Minister Meloni to visit India.
