The relationship between India and Italy has now reached a decisive
stage. In recent years, our ties have expanded with unprecedented momentum,
evolving from a cordial friendship into a special strategic partnership grounded in the values of freedom
and democracy, and a common vision for the future.
At a time when the international system is undergoing a profound change,
the partnership between Italy and India is guided by regular exchanges at
higher political and institutional levels, and is gaining a new and higher
dimension that combines our economic dynamism, societal creativity, and
millennia-old civilisational wisdom.Our cooperation mirrors our shared
awareness that prosperity and security in the 21st century will be shaped by
the ability of nations to innovate, manage energy transitions, and strengthen
strategic sovereignty. To this end, we have committed to deepen and diversify
our bilateral relationship with a view to pursuing new objectives and pooling
our complementary strengths.We aim to
forge a powerful synergy between Italian design, manufacturing
excellence, and world-class
supercomputers — reflecting Italy's position as an industrial powerhouse —
and India's rapid economic growth, engineering talent, scale, and innovation
and entrepreneurial ecosystem with over 100 unicorns and 200,000 start-ups. This is not a simple integration, but a
co-creation of value where our respective industrial strengths amplify one
another.
The Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and India paves the
way for increased trade and investment in both directions. We want to reach and
exceed the Euro 20 billion target for trade between Italy and India by 2029,
with a focus on defence & aerospace, clean technologies, machinery,
automotive components, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, agri-food, tourism and more.
"Made in Italy" has always been
synonymous with excellence worldwide, and today it finds a natural synergy with
the high-quality goals of the "Make in India" initiative.In this
context, the growing
interest of Italian businesses in the production for Indiaand the increasing
presence of Indian industries in Italy, numbering over 1000 from both sides
now, is a positive sign that will strengthen
the integration of our supply
chains.
Technological innovation lies at the very heart of our partnership. The
coming decades will be shaped by a technological revolution of unmeasurable
scope, marked by advances in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, quantum
computing, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, and digital
infrastructure. India’s dynamic innovation ecosystem, coupled with highly
skilled professional talent pool, and Italy’s advanced industrial capabilities
make our cooperation in the above sectors both natural and strategic. The
growing partnership between our Universities and Research Centres will support
this.India’s Digital Public Infrastructure is already finding resonance with a
large number of countries particularly in the Global South. Artificial
Intelligence, in particular, is already impacting our societies and the global
economy. Italy and India have long been collaborating to ensure that AI
development is responsible and human-centred. From this perspective, India and
Italy also see AI as a powerful instrument for inclusive development,
especially for the Global South, where digital public infrastructure and
accessible, multilingual technologies can bridge divides rather than deepen
them.Building on India’s vision of MANAV—putting human at the centre of
technology — and Italy’s leadership in
promoting a human-centric 'algor-ethics' rooted in its humanist tradition,
our partnership seeks to ensure that AI acts as a catalyst for social
empowerment. Our approach combines
India's digital scale with Italy's ethical and industrial expertise, ensuring
technology serves human dignity. By sharing best practices in secure
digital cooperation, capacity-building and resilient cyber infrastructure, we
aim to create an open, trustworthy and equitable digital space in which every
nation can shape and benefit from AI. This perspective forms the core of Italy’s
G7 Presidency and outcomes of the AI Impact Summit 2026, held in New Delhi.
Conceiving AI as a tool created by humans for humans means firmly asserting
that technology cannot replace individuals or undermine their fundamental
rights, nor be used to manipulate public debate or alter democratic processes.
Our approach to defending freedom and human dignity in an increasingly
interconnected world hinges on this very challenge.
Our cooperation also covers the space sector. India’s impressive
advancements in space exploration and satellite technology, together with
Italy’s aerospace engineering excellence, offer significant opportunities for
joint initiatives and next-generation technology development.
Security and stability remain essential to ensuring nations' prosperity.
Italy and India intend to further strengthen their cooperation in sectors such
as defence, security and strategic technologies. Our collaboration will help
ensure the security of critical maritime routes, strengthen resilience in the
face of threats, such as terrorism, international criminal networks, drug
trafficking, cyber-crimes and human trafficking.
Energy is another key pillar of our partnership. The global transition
towards diversified energy sources requires innovation, investment, and cooperation.
India and Italy are collaborating from renewable energy to hydrogen
technologies, and from smart grids to resilient infrastructure. While India’s push for becoming a hub
for Green Hydrogen exports offers
immense potential, it perfectly complements Italy’s advanced technology in
renewable infrastructure and its strategic role as an energy gateway for Europe.
Our collaboration along with other countries in key India-led initiatives — International
Solar Alliance (ISA), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
and Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) — is also important in this context.
Physical, digital and human connectivity is the thread that weaves us
together. Both India and Italy are located at the very heart of two crucial
hubs of the global economy, the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean—regions that
cannot be viewed as separate spheres, but instead as increasingly
interconnected spaces. As a matter of fact, we are witnessing the emergence of
what might be termed the Indo-Mediterranean, an important corridor for trade,
technology, energy, data and ideas tying the Indian Ocean to Europe. It is precisely within this interconnected
space that our bond naturally evolves into a special strategic partnership—one
that bridges two continents and shapes new global dynamics.
In this context, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)
represents a vision aimed at connecting our regions through modern transport
and infrastructure, digital networks, energy systems, and resilient supply chains.
India and Italy are also committed to working together with other partners to
make this vision a reality.
We can address our shared challenges by drawing upon the profound
partnership and the enduring cultural ties between our nations. Within Indian
culture, the concept of “Dharma” evokes the sense of responsibility that must
guide our actions, whilst the principle of “Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam” — the world is one family — resonates powerfully in this
interconnected digital age. Such values find a natural echo in Italy’s humanist
tradition, rooted in the Renaissance, which highlights the dignity of each
individual and the power of culture to unite peoples and societies. Our shared
vision, therefore, aims to lay the foundation for a strong and forward-looking
India-Italy Partnership with our people at the centre.
(Narendra
Modi, Prime Minister of India; and Giorgia Meloni, President of the Council of
Ministers of the Italian Republic.)
