- Italy and India sign a joint action plan: during the G20 summit in Brazil, aimed at strengthening their strategic partnership over the next five years.
- The agreement focuses on various sectors: including political dialogue, economy, defense, innovation, and culture.
- This partnership benefits: India by boosting its interests in the West while enhancing Italy’s influence in the East.
The stunning backdrop of Brazil’s G20 summit provided the perfect stage for the historic signing of the joint action plan between Italy and India. This crucial roadmap outlines a bold and ambitious vision for their strategic partnership over the next five years, paving the way for enhanced collaboration and mutual growth.
Giorgia Meloni and Narendra Modi met in Rio de Janeiro for the fifth time in two years, confirming a political understanding at the highest level (Meloni has not met so often with any other non-EU head of state or government).
The action plan will be the basis for completing the partnership at the highest mutual level in 2023. From there, they will draw the elements of the current and especially the future relationship between the two countries. The topics on the table, as mentioned in the meeting between the Italian ambassador to India, Antonio Bartoli, and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, are many: political dialogue, economy, connectivity, innovation, space, defence, energy transition, security, mobility, culture and people-to-people contacts.
For India, the relationship with Italy enhances activities and interests directed toward the West. The sharing of IMEC underscores the Indo-Mediterranean interconnection between the two peninsulas, which are inherently aligned within their geo-strategic contexts. This connection fosters geo-economic integration and reflects the historical convergence of the Indo-Abrahamic cultural narrative.
For Italy, the Indian approach is a strategic pathway for extending influence towards the East, mainly through the Indo-Pacific region. This trajectory aligns with the geopolitical dynamics of the Indo-Mediterranean corridor shared with New Delhi, which acts as a pivotal entry point for Italy’s engagement in Asian markets and regional stability initiatives.
With the roadmap, exchanges between the two countries will evolve across various levels, including constitutional discussions and technical dialogues among ministerial officials, particularly in Foreign Affairs and Defence. Additionally, interactions involving the business community and cultural exchanges will thrive. All collaborative efforts, whether within multilateral frameworks or through bilateral agreements, will advance by this roadmap. Consequently, future connections between Rome and New Delhi will be guided by these principles.
