India, Italy elevate ties to ‘Special Strategic Partnership’

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi held official talks with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Rome on May 20.

• They decided to elevate India-Italy relations to the level of a ‘Special Strategic Partnership’. 

• The two leaders engaged in comprehensive discussions covering the entire gamut of the India-Italy partnership.

Key outcomes of the meeting:

• India-Italy Defence Industrial Roadmap: Signing of joint declaration of intent for an industrial roadmap for collaboration in co-design, co-development and co-production of defence products.

• MoU for cooperation in critical minerals: Both sides agreed to further strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in the field of critical minerals by establishing a structured framework for collaboration, with particular emphasis on sustainability and resilient supply chains. The leaders underscored the importance of promoting joint efforts in recovery of critical minerals from unconventional sources, including electronic waste and mine tailings, as an integral component of circular economy initiatives. 

• Celebration of 2027 as the ‘Year of Culture and Tourism between India and Italy’: Both sides will celebrate 2027 as the ‘Year of Culture and Tourism between Italy and India’, which will feature a broad calendar of initiatives, and pave the way to a major exhibition on ancient cultural relations between Italy and India to be co-organised by the ministries of culture.

• Joint declaration of intent on the facilitation of mobility of nurses from India to Italy.

• MoU regarding Italy’s participation in the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal, Gujarat.

• Strengthening cooperation in higher education and adoption of the Indo-Italian Roadmap on Higher Education and Research.

• MoU on maritime transport and ports.

• MoU for cooperation in the field of agriculture and agricultural research between respective ministries and institutions.

• MoU for the cooperation between the Italian Corps of the Guardia di Finanza (GDF) and the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), India.

• MoU between the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the Association of Italian seafood companies (ASSOITTICA ITALIA).

• MoU between the All India Institute of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Point srl Milan (Italy) on cooperation and collaboration in the field of ayurveda.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)