India and Italy agree to elevate ties to special strategic partnership

India and Italy decided to upgrade their ties to a special strategic partnership and enhance cooperation in trade, investment and new technologies, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni.

Also read: Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Italy on 20 May 2026

“We discussed extensively on improving India-Italy ties,” Prime Minister Modi said in a joint press statement after his meeting with Meloni.

Prime Minister Modi, who landed in Rome on Tuesday night (May 20, 2026) for the last leg of his five-nation tour, was ceremonially awarded a military honor when he arrived to meet Ms. Meloni.

Ahead of the bilateral talks, Prime Minister Modi called Italian President Sergio Mattarella and discussed different aspects of India-Italy friendship, including trade, investment and cultural ties. They also discussed cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, critical minerals, space and nuclear energy.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had said that his visit would focus on ways to strengthen cooperation between India and Italy, with special emphasis on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).

The two sides will also review the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, a comprehensive roadmap for cooperation in various sectors, he said in his social media post.

Soon after Prime Minister Modi’s arrival on Tuesday night (May 20, 2026), Ms. Meloni hosted him for dinner and accompanied him on his visit to the iconic Colosseum ahead of their official talks aimed at further strengthening India-Italy ties.

The two leaders have maintained close relations in recent years; Ms. Meloni also visited India for the G20 Summit in 2023.

India and Italy have witnessed increased economic interaction in recent years; Bilateral trade reaches €14.25 billion in 2025.

While India’s exports were 8.55 billion Euros, Italy’s exports to India were recorded as 5.70 billion Euros in 2025, an increase of 9.42 percent compared to 2024.

The two countries have set an annual bilateral trade target of 20 billion Euros by 2029.

Italy is India’s fourth largest trading partner in the European Union and has identified India as one of the priority countries under its global trade strategy.

The Indian community in Italy, estimated at 1,86,833 as of January 2025, is the largest Indian diaspora group in the European Union. Currently, more than 5,100 Indian students are studying in Italian universities.