The relationship between India and Italy has now reached a critical stage. In recent years, our relations have expanded with unprecedented strength, evolving from a friendly friendship into a special strategic partnership based on the values of freedom and democracy, and a shared vision for the future.
At a time when the international system is undergoing profound change, the partnership between Italy and India is guided by regular exchanges at higher political and institutional levels, and acquires a new and higher dimension that brings together our economic dynamism, societal creativity and civilizational wisdom dating back thousands of years. Our cooperation reflects our shared awareness that prosperity and security in the 21st century will be shaped by the ability of countries to innovate, manage energy transitions, and enhance strategic sovereignty. To this end, we have committed to deepening and diversifying our bilateral relations with the aim of achieving new goals and pooling our complementary strengths. We aim to create a strong synergy between Italian design, manufacturing excellence, world-class supercomputers – reflecting Italy’s position as an industrial powerhouse – and India’s rapid economic growth, engineering talent, scale, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem with over 100 unicorns and 200,000 startups. This is not a simple integration, but a co-creation of value where our industrial strengths amplify each other.
The EU-India Free Trade Agreement paves the way for increased trade and investment in both directions. We want to reach and exceed the €20 billion target for trade between Italy and India by 2029, focusing on defence, aerospace, clean technologies, machinery, automotive components, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, agri-food, tourism and more.
The ‘Made in Italy’ slogan has always been synonymous with excellence across the world, and today it finds a natural synergy with the high-quality objectives of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. In this context, the growing interest of Italian companies in producing for India and the growing presence of Indian industries in Italy, numbering more than 1,000 on both sides now, is a positive sign that will strengthen the integration of our supply chains.
Technological innovation lies at the heart of our partnership. The coming decades will be shaped by a technological revolution of immeasurable scope, characterized by advances in sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, and digital infrastructure. India’s dynamic innovation ecosystem, coupled with the highly skilled professional talent pool and advanced industrial capabilities in Italy, make our collaboration in the above sectors natural and strategic. The growing partnership between our universities and research centers will support this. India’s digital public infrastructure has already resonated with a large number of countries especially in the Global South. Artificial intelligence, in particular, is already impacting our societies and the global economy. Italy and India have long collaborated to ensure that AI development is responsible and human-centred. From this perspective, India and Italy also view AI as a powerful tool for inclusive development, especially for the Global South, where digital public infrastructure and accessible multilingual technologies can bridge gaps rather than deepen them. Building on India’s vision of MANAV – Putting People at the Center of Technology – and Italy’s leadership in promoting human-centered “algorithmic ethics” rooted in its humanistic tradition, our partnership seeks to ensure that AI acts as a catalyst for social empowerment. Our approach combines Indian digital scale with Italian ethical and industrial expertise, ensuring that technology serves human dignity. By sharing best practices in secure digital collaboration, capacity building and resilient cyber infrastructure, we aim to create an open, trustworthy and equitable digital space in which every country can shape and benefit from AI. This perspective forms the core of Italy’s G7 presidency and the outcomes of the AI Impact Summit 2026, held in New Delhi. To envision AI as a tool created by humans for humans is to strongly assert that technology cannot replace individuals or undermine their fundamental rights, nor can it 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 progress in space exploration and satellite technology, combined with Italy’s superiority in aerospace engineering, provides great opportunities for joint initiatives and development of next generation technology.
Security and stability remain essential to ensure the prosperity of nations. Italy and India intend to further strengthen their cooperation in sectors such as defence, security and strategic technologies. Our cooperation will help ensure the security of vital sea routes, and enhance resilience to threats, such as terrorism, international criminal networks, drug trafficking, cybercrime and human trafficking.
Energy is another key pillar of our partnership. The global shift towards diversified energy sources requires creativity, investment and cooperation. India and Italy are cooperating in the transition from renewable energy to hydrogen technologies, and from smart grids to resilient infrastructure. While India’s quest to become a hub for green hydrogen exports offers huge potential, it perfectly complements Italy’s advanced technology in renewable infrastructure and its strategic role as an energy gateway to Europe. Our collaboration with other countries in key India-led initiatives – the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) – is also important in this context.
Physical, digital and human connection is the thread that binds us together. Both India and Italy are located at the heart of two important centers of the global economy, the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean, regions that cannot be viewed as separate spheres, but rather as increasingly interconnected spaces. In fact, we are witnessing the emergence of what we might call the “Indo-Mediterranean”, an important corridor of trade, technology, energy, data and ideas linking the Indian Ocean to Europe. It is precisely in this interconnected space that our ties are naturally developing into a special strategic partnership – one that connects two continents and shapes new global dynamics.
In this context, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) represents a vision that aims to connect our regions through modern transportation and infrastructure, digital networks, energy systems, and resilient supply chains. India and Italy are also committed to working with other partners to turn this vision into reality.
We can address our common challenges by leveraging the deep partnership and enduring cultural ties between our nations. In Indian culture, the concept of ‘dharma’ evokes a sense of responsibility that should guide our actions, while the principle of ‘vasudivakutumbakam’ – the world is one family – resonates strongly in this interconnected digital age. Such values find a natural echo in the Italian humanist tradition, which has its roots in the Renaissance, and which highlights the dignity of every individual and the power of culture to unite peoples and societies. Therefore, our shared vision aims to lay the foundation for a strong and forward-looking partnership between India and Italy, putting our people at the centre.
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic
