Staff Reporter / New Delhi
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, today to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. PM Conveyed appreciation for the proactive steps being taken by both sides towards implementation of the Italy-India Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 across key sectors such as trade, investment, research, innovation, defence, space, connectivity, counter-terrorism, education and people-to-people ties. India-Italy friendship continues to get stronger, greatly benefiting our people and the global community.
On a three-day visit to India, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio, in an article, said, Italy wants to increase industrial collaborations, joint ventures, co-development and co-production projects with India. “India is a long-trusted friend and a priority for Italy”. Tajani, who is also the foreign minister, said his visit to New Delhi is to further reinvigorate the economic partnership between the two countries.
Tajani said Italy can contribute significantly to the India’s growth story and is looking at shoring up industrial collaborations and bilateral economic ties. He said the Italian foreign ministry has launched a dedicated financing line to India of Euro 500 million to support Italian companies entering the local market and creating joint ventures. He also said that Italy fully backs the much-awaited India-EU free trade agreement.
Italian Deputy PM said India is a strategic partner on major international issues and a privileged interlocutor in the fields of economy, trade, investment and innovation. He noted that India is a large market, an economic power growing rapidly and dynamically. Tajani also noted remarkable achievements in various sectors, from infrastructure to new technologies, from IT services to space.
In November last year, the two sides unveiled an ambitious five-year strategic action plan outlining specific initiatives in key sectors of defence, trade, clean energy and connectivity. At present, the volume of annual bilateral trade between the two countries is around Euro 14 billion, and both sides are eyeing to increase it under a robust trading framework.
Tajani’s visit has importance amid the reshaping of trade relationships around the world in view of Washington’s sweeping policies on tariffs. Italy is a key partner of India in Europe, and there has been a significant upswing in their bilateral relations in the last few years.