Rome, May 20 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Italy, the final stop of his five‑nation tour, produced 15 concrete outcomes designed to deepen bilateral cooperation across trade, defence, investment, science, education, culture and people‑to‑people ties. New measures upgrade the relationship to a Special Strategic Partnership and aim to accelerate economic and strategic collaboration.
Key outcomes agreed during the visit:
1. Upgrade to a Special Strategic Partnership to broaden engagement across strategic sectors and boost bilateral ties.
2. Defence Industrial Roadmap to expand joint development, defence manufacturing and advanced‑technology industrial capacity.
3. MoU on critical minerals to promote exploration, investment and secure supply chains for strategic and emerging technologies.
4. Enhanced cooperation between Italy’s Guardia di Finanza and India’s Enforcement Directorate to tackle money laundering, tax evasion and terror financing.
5. Joint observance of 2027 as the Year of Culture and Tourism to promote cultural exchange, tourism and related economic opportunities.
6. Agreement on mobility of Indian nurses to Italy to facilitate employment and strengthen healthcare workforce links.
7. Support for the National Maritime Heritage Complex project at Lothal, Gujarat, under the “Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi” vision linking heritage conservation with development.
8. Roadmap on higher education and research to expand academic partnerships, student mobility and innovation collaboration.
9. MoU on maritime transport and ports to improve logistics infrastructure, maritime connectivity and trade efficiency.
10. Agriculture cooperation agreement to promote technology transfer, sustainable practices and productivity gains.
11. Pact between MPEDA and ASSOITTICA ITALIA to boost India’s marine exports and expand seafood trade with Italy.
12. MoU on Ayurveda cooperation to promote traditional Indian medicine via institutional linkages and joint research.
13. Collaboration between IITM Pune and CMCC (Italy) on climate change research, sustainability and environmental sciences.
14. DST and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste agreement enabling Indian researchers’ access to advanced synchrotron radiation facilities for high‑end research.
15. Partnership between the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) on weather, climate science and mathematics, including structured research and capacity building.
The package of agreements emphasizes expanding trade and investment flows, industrial collaboration, innovation‑driven growth and stronger cultural and educational links. Posting on X after the visit, PM Modi said the newly elevated Special Strategic Partnership will benefit both countries and, in his words, “the entire humanity,” by fostering investment linkages, trade opportunities and closer cultural ties.
Modi arrived in Rome after engagements in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UAE. (Source: ANI)
