June 15th 2024.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his appreciation for the strong bond between India and Italy. This came shortly after his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, shared a selfie video of the two leaders during their bilateral meeting at the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy.
In his post on X, PM Modi exclaimed, "Long live India-Italy friendship!" and included flags of both countries. Meloni's selfie video, which showed them smiling and waving at the camera, quickly went viral on social media, garnering nearly four million views in just a few hours.
This visit to Italy marked PM Modi's first overseas trip since his re-election and his fifth consecutive participation in the G7 Summit. Prior to his departure, he fondly recalled his last visit to the country for the G20 Summit in 2021.
In his departure statement, PM Modi praised Meloni's two visits to India last year, which he believed had added significant momentum and depth to the bilateral agenda. He also expressed his commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Italy, as well as collaborating in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean regions.
During their meeting on Friday, both leaders were pleased with the regular high-level political dialogue and reviewed the progress of the India-Italy Strategic Partnership. Meloni also congratulated PM Modi on his third consecutive term as Prime Minister, while he thanked her for the invitation to the G7 Outreach Summit and commended the successful outcome of the event.
In a statement released by the Indian Prime Minister's office in the late hours, it was stated that the two leaders were happy with the growing trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. They also called for further expansion in areas such as clean energy, manufacturing, space, science and technology, telecom, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals in order to establish resilient supply chains. The recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Industrial Property Rights was also welcomed as it provides a framework for cooperation on patents, designs, and trademarks.
Bilateral defence and security cooperation were also discussed, with hopes of enhancing defence industrial collaboration. Both leaders eagerly await the visit of the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and training ship ITS Vespucci, which are scheduled to take place later this year.
Furthermore, PM Modi and Meloni discussed the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative and their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. They also touched on important regional and global issues and agreed to strengthen cooperation in global forums and multilateral initiatives, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
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