‘From cordial friendship to partnership’: Meloni says India-Italy reached decisive phase after meeting with PM Modi
India and Italy are carving out a crucial "Indo-Mediterranean" corridor focused on AI, defense, and trade, both Meloni and Modi highlighted in their statements.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, strolling beside the floodlit Colosseum on a Tuesday evening in Rome. (Photo: Narendra Modi/X) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held diplomatic talks in Rome on Wednesday, after which the two leaders issued a joint press statement highlighting the strength of India-Italy ties. After the meeting, Meloni highlighted that the ties between the two countries have reached a “decisive phase”, expanding with unprecedented momentum.
It was the final stop of Modi’s five-nation Europe tour – after Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UAE.
Before their formal delegation-level talks on Wednesday, Meloni described the current state of bilateral ties plainly: “The relationship between India and Italy has now reached a decisive phase. In recent years, our ties have expanded with unprecedented momentum, evolving from a cordial friendship to a special strategic partnership founded on the values of freedom and democracy, as well as a shared vision of the future.”
The two leaders gave that sentiment a joint byline as well. Modi and Meloni co-authored an op-ed in which they described the emergence of an “Indo-Mediterranean“ corridor – an important strategic and economic link connecting the Indian Ocean to Europe through trade, energy, technology, and data flows. The piece also invoked Indian philosophical traditions, drawing a parallel between concepts like Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and Italy’s own humanist legacy, shaped by the Renaissance.
Il rapporto tra India e Italia ha ormai raggiunto una fase decisiva. Negli ultimi anni, i nostri legami si sono ampliati con uno slancio senza precedenti, evolvendo da una cordiale amicizia a un partenariato strategico speciale fondato sui valori di libertà e democrazia, nonché… pic.twitter.com/pSjHkFvdcX
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) May 20, 2026
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Technology and innovation were identified as central pillars of the partnership going forward, with AI, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, and digital infrastructure flagged as sectors that would define the next phase of global transformation.
But before the communiques and corridors came Melody. Modi gifted Meloni packets of the popular Indian toffee, prompting her to post a 12-second video on X, captioned “Thank you for the gift,” in which she can be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift a very, very good toffee – Melody,” both leaders then breaking into laughter. The clip reignited the internet-famous “Melodi” hashtag and, in a rather extraordinary spillover, sent shares of Parle Industries surging nearly 5 per cent on the BSE.
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