Rome/New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) : Terming India as a “true partner”, Italy’s former Foreign Minister and current Senator Giulio Terzi on Tuesday said that relationship with India remains one of the key pillars for Rome, in both the global and regional environment that extends from Europe through the Middle East and the Mediterranean to the Indo Pacific.
All these regions, Terzi told IANS in an exclusive interview, are connected by a common understanding of security, progress and the wellbeing of both nations and their peoples.
“The state of our relations is not only excellent, it is extraordinarily good. Our relationship has been developing very, very well over the last four years,” the Italian Senator highlighted.
“There are many strategic partnerships, but I would say that the partnership between India and Italy is a very unique one. It brings together Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni through the Plan of Action that was drafted two years ago and subsequently reinforced. The strategic partnership between India and Italy was further strengthened during Prime Minister Meloni’s first visit to New Delhi, when she participated as a special guest at the Raisina Dialogue,” he added.
In May, at the invitation of the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister Modi, paid an official visit to Italy during which the two leaders had decided to elevate India-Italy relations to the level of a Special Strategic Partnership.
The two Prime Ministers had also welcomed the “strong momentum” of high-level exchanges and agreed to hold annual meetings of leaders including on the sidelines of multilateral events, as well as regular Ministerial and institutional-level meetings.
“Prime Minister Modi’s visit represented a further step forward. I would describe the relationship as developing to a crescendo, moving ahead at an increasingly accelerated pace. The relationship has become not only more intense but also richer in terms of projects and programmes of cooperation. Prime Minister Modi’s latest visit and his meeting with Prime Minister Meloni reiterated and further enriched the contents of the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029. Over the last year and a half, we have already made significant progress in political dialogue. There have been around 30 meetings at the ministerial level,” the Italian leader emphasised.
He cited Defence Minister Guido Crosetto’s visit to New Delhi last April as “most important” as both sides discussed cooperation between the armed forces of two countries, as well as defence industry cooperation and defence technologies. According to the Italian Senator, a number of agreements were reached in principle, while several programmes are already moving towards implementation.
“Defence industry cooperation is certainly important, but let me also mention cooperation in space, education and training. Migration is another important area of cooperation. There is great value in creating opportunities for specialists to come and work in Italy, particularly in sectors such as cybersecurity and space, as well as in other areas identified through the bilateral economic dialogue. The bilateral economic committee, which meets periodically, brings together the main dynamic elements of our two economies. All these issues are regularly discussed whenever our two Prime Ministers meet,” he stated.
The former Italian Foreign Minister, in particular, highlighted the European Union’s Migration and Asylum Pact, which contains many different elements and entered into force last June for all 27 EU member states.
“Within European migration policy, we also see strong convergence with the migration policy of the Indian government, particularly in our commitment to combat criminal organisations that exploit vulnerable people and facilitate illegal migration. In our case, this often takes place through the Mediterranean; in other regions, it may happen through different routes, including across borders. We therefore see a common understanding between Rome and New Delhi regarding the importance of respecting international law and ensuring that international rules are upheld for the benefit of all our people, particularly those who are legally resident in our countries”.
“Let us not forget that, while I have been speaking about the special partnership between Italy and India, the European-Indian partnership is equally important. I mentioned the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor. This is not only a project; it is increasingly becoming a reality. It has already attracted significant interest from business communities as well as scientific and educational institutions,” he added.
Earlier this month, PM Modi had congratulated Meloni on becoming the longest continuously serving Prime Minister in Italy’s postwar history.
The Prime Minister stated that this milestone is a reflection of the trust and confidence of the Italian people in her leadership. He further noted that her friendship has been instrumental in strengthening the India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership, adding that he looks forward to continuing their close cooperation to build a prosperous future for the people of both countries. He extended his best wishes for her continued success in the years ahead.
According to Terzi, who also leads the India-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group, the strategic partnership with India is “extremely important” for the Italian government, the parliamentary majority and the Italian Parliament.
“I mentioned the messages sent to Prime Minister Meloni on September 4 by her international counterparts. Let me say that Prime Minister Modi’s message was particularly appreciated. There was an immediate response through social media, but the message was also deeply appreciated by our political community and, especially, by the parliamentary group that I have the honour to chair. The exchange of messages between our two leaders was also a strong encouragement to intensify our activities at the parliamentary level,” he stated.
Hailing Prime Minister Modi’s record-breaking journey in public life and political service, the former Italian minister also mentioned the huge popularity Indian PM enjoys in Italy.
“Prime Minister Modi is very popular in my country. He is personally very popular, and there is also strong recognition of his government… He has demonstrated how important India’s role is in global and international relations… I believe India and Prime Minister Modi have played an important role in seeking to mitigate tensions and preserve peace as a fundamental objective of Indian foreign policy”.
