'Welcome to Rome, my friend': Italian PM Meloni extends heartfelt welcome to PM Modi in Italy
text_fields
Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni extended a warm personal welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrived in Rome on Tuesday night for the final leg of his five-nation tour.
Posting on X, Meloni wrote: “Welcome to Rome, my friend!”, a message that underscored the close rapport between the two leaders. Modi is due to hold bilateral talks with Meloni and to meet President Sergio Mattarella during the visit.
Modi said he had landed in Rome for an official visit aimed at deepening ties between India and Italy. The leaders are scheduled to meet on Wednesday at the historic Villa Doria Pamphili, where they are expected to adopt a joint declaration to advance the India–Italy strategic partnership.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X that the visit was “scripting a new chapter in the India–Italy Strategic Partnership,” noting that Modi was warmly received at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
The MEA said the visit comes at a time of growing momentum in bilateral ties and will build on the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029, covering cooperation in trade, investment, defence, clean energy, innovation, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. The ministry highlighted bilateral trade of USD 16.77 billion in 2025 and cumulative FDI of USD 3.66 billion between April 2000 and September 2025.
Officials said the visit will also bolster India’s engagement with Europe, following the recent conclusion of the India–EU Free Trade Agreement. Modi last visited Italy in June 2024 for the G7 Summit.
(Inputs from IANS)
