India – Italy: Elevating Ties to Strategic Partnership
Asia News Agency
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Mar. 2 announced the establishment of a ‘startup bridge’ between India and Italy and announced elevation of ties to a strategic partnership.
Addressing the media after a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Modi said new opportunities were opening up in India in the sector of co-production and co-development, such as renewable energy, green hydrogen, semiconductors, telecom and space, which can be beneficial for both the countries.
"This year India and Italy are celebrating the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations. On this occasion, we have decided to elevate the India-Italy partnership to the status of a strategic partnership," Modi said.
Modi said India and Italy have also decided to hold joint exercises and training courses between the armed forces of the two countries on a regular basis, and that the countries Italy have been working shoulder-to-shoulder on issues such as terrorism and separatism. "We held extensive discussions on further strengthening this cooperation," Modi noted.
Hailing Italy's active participation in the Indo-Pacific, Modi said, "It is a matter of great pleasure that Italy has decided to join the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative. This will enable us to identify concrete themes for enhancing our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific."
Meloni on her part hailed Modi for being a major world leader and said that he is the most loved one of all the leaders globally. She further said that Italy aimed to strengthen its partnership with India on defence and energy security, as well as cybersecurity and other areas. "We decided to become strategic partners as our relations are very solid".
(Courtesy: Defence.Capital)
