4 min readMar 15, 2023 08:30 AM IST
First published on: Mar 15, 2023 at 07:24 AM IST
On the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and India, the summit on March 2 of this year between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked a turning point in the relations between our two countries.
The elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership has been established for the first time. In recent years, Italy and India have already intensified their collaboration, bringing bilateral trade to a record figure of around 15 billion euros in 2022, doubling the figure recorded in 2020. Just in 2020, a five-year action plan has been adopted, with a well-defined range of priorities: Energy transition, food processing, advanced manufacturing, the creative industry and infrastructure of various kinds.
In recent years, Italy has joined all the multilateral initiatives promoted by India, from the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to the Coalition for Disaster Relief Infrastructure (CDRI), to the International Solar Alliance.
Italy and India have also further enhanced collaboration in the cultural field, on the heritage front as well as in the creative industry — fashion, design, cinema, etc. Moreover, in scientific research and technology, the partnership between the two countries has registered the launch of 13 new joint projects. Also in the last few years, in terms of mobility, we have witnessed a significant increase in the flow of Indian students and workers in Italy where an Indian community that exceeds a figure of 2,00,000 — the highest in the European Union — is already actively operating in the Italian economy.
In the health sector, during the pandemic, our two countries have collaborated since the beginning with the exchange of experiences and practices, with humanitarian initiatives, and we have also promoted joint research projects.
Now, the Joint Declaration approved in the last Summit affirms the commitment of the two governments to develop a strategic partnership that will also focus on sectors such as defence, cybersecurity, space and energy. The enhancement of our relationship is part of a common vision for an Indo-Pacific based on respect for international law, freedom of navigation and territorial integrity. From this point of view, a connection was also identified between the Indo-Pacific, in which India plays a leading role, and the enlarged Mediterranean where Italy is a front-line player in terms of energy security, investments and commerce.
The link between the two areas will become increasingly substantiated in the fields of maritime and digital connectivity and security.
Finally, Italy intends to offer full support to the Indian Presidency of the G20. One of the ways it will do so is by contributing around the issues that were at the centre of Italy’s G20 Presidency in 2021. This includes debt service suspension, special drawing rights, finance and health track, and balance sheet optimisation of multilateral banks – that will help promote the agenda of the Global South in this G20, where India’s Presidency will further enhance these priorities.
On Ukraine, while our country reiterates its strong condemnation of the unlawful Russian aggression, Italy and India will be engaged in trying to find a cessation of the conflict.
Prime Minister Meloni and Prime Minister Modi have also expressed their commitment to enhancing the European-Indian strategic partnership and their support for the ongoing negotiations for Free Trade Agreements and agreements on investment protection and geographical indication protection.
In these very challenging times, our two countries intend to give a strong impulse to their relations, united by a millenary tradition of exchanges, linked by the common recognition of the value of true friendship and solidarity.
The writer is Italy’s Ambassador to India and Nepal
In recent years, Italy and India have already intensified their collaboration, bringing bilateral trade to a record figure of around 15 billion euros in 2022, doubling the figure recorded in 2020. 
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