NEW DELHI: Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi concluded his visit to Italy, the final leg of his five-nation foreign tour, on Wednesday, with India and Italy committing to raising annual bilateral trade to €20 billion by 2029.
Following talks between PM Modi and his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, in Rome, India and Italy announced 15 outcomes. These included an India-Italy defence industrial roadmap for cooperation in defence manufacturing, collaboration on critical minerals, a pact to facilitate the mobility of Indian nurses to Italy, and an agreement aimed at promoting India’s marine exports to Italy.
Meloni said Italy and India are both peninsular countries and that her government strongly believes in further developing the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). Modi invited Italian cooperation in the civil nuclear sector, port modernisation and shipbuilding. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine and the conflict in West Asia, stressing the need to restore freedom of navigation.
India-Italy bilateral trade stood at €14.25 billion in 2025. India’s exports were valued at €8.55 billion, while Italian exports to India were recorded at €5.70 billion. Italy is India’s fourth-largest trading partner in the European Union (EU) and has identified India as one of the priority countries under its global trade strategy. Italy is also home to the largest Indian diaspora in the EU, with 186,833 Indians living and working there. More than 5,100 Indian students are currently studying at Italian universities.
India and Italy also elevated their ties to a special strategic partnership and agreed to deepen cooperation. The two sides reviewed their Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, a comprehensive roadmap for cooperation across sectors.
Modi landed in Rome on Tuesday night. Meloni hosted him for dinner and accompanied him on a visit to the iconic Colosseum. Modi also visited the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, Meloni shared a short video on social media thanking Modi for gifting her ‘Melody’ toffees, a confectionery brand from Parle Products. Modi’s gift was seen as an allusion to the ‘Melodi’ portmanteau associated with the two leaders on social media since 2023.
Opposition leaders, including Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, criticised the PM’s gesture. “An economic storm is raging over our heads, and our prime minister is busy handing out candies in Italy,” Gandhi said in a video posted on social media. “Farmers, youth, women, labourers and small traders are all in tears — the PM is laughing and making reels, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders clap along. This is not leadership; it is a farce,” Gandhi wrote on X.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal hit back, accusing the Congress leader of being unable to tolerate the “global respect” India has earned under Modi’s leadership. In a social media post, Goyal said: “India’s toffee tale would surely be music to the ears. Exports of Indian toffees have risen nearly 166 per cent since 2013–14, from ₹49.68 crore to ₹132 crore.”
He also said India had emerged as the world’s “trusted destination” through initiatives such as “Make in India” and “Local Goes Global”. In a social media post, Parle Products thanked PM Modi “for taking Parle Melody to the global stage.”
Source: Business Standard
