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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Italy, as part of his five-nation tour, has resulted in 15 key outcomes aimed at significantly expanding cooperation in trade, defence, investment, science, education and culture, with both sides upgrading their relationship to a Special Strategic Partnership.
According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, the upgrade reflects a shared commitment to deepen engagement in key areas, including trade; investment; technology; defence; clean energy; innovation; and mobility and is expected to further accelerate bilateral economic ties. A Defence Industrial Roadmap was agreed between the two countries to enhance joint development and defence manufacturing cooperation and strengthen industrial capacity in advanced technologies. An MoU on critical minerals was also signed to boost cooperation in exploration, investment and secure supply chains for strategic sectors, including emerging technologies. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation between Italy's Guardia di Finanza and India's Enforcement Directorate to tackle economic offences such as money laundering, tax evasion and terror financing. India and Italy will jointly observe 2027 as the Year of Culture and Tourism to promote cultural exchange, tourism flows and economic opportunities. An agreement on the mobility of Indian nurses to Italy will facilitate employment opportunities and strengthen healthcare workforce cooperation. A project for the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal in Gujarat was supported under the vision of "Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi," aimed at combining heritage preservation with modern development. A roadmap on higher education and research was finalised to expand academic partnerships, student mobility and innovation-driven collaboration. An MoU on maritime transport and ports will strengthen logistics infrastructure and enhance maritime connectivity and trade efficiency. An agriculture cooperation agreement will promote technology transfer, sustainable farming practices and productivity enhancement. A pact between the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and ASSOITTICA ITALIA will boost India's marine exports and expand seafood trade with Italy. An MoU on Ayurveda cooperation will promote traditional Indian medicine systems through institutional linkages and joint research. An agreement between IITM Pune and CMCC Italy will strengthen collaboration on climate change research, sustainability and environmental sciences. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste will enable Indian researchers to access advanced synchrotron radiation facilities for high-end scientific research. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) will collaborate on weather, climate science and mathematics through structured research and capacity-building initiatives. The outcomes reflect a broader effort to expand India-Italy economic and strategic cooperation, with a strong focus on boosting trade, investment flows, industrial collaboration and innovation-driven growth alongside cultural and people-to-people ties. Following the outcomes, PM Modi, in a post on X, said that the newly elevated Special Strategic Partnership between India and Italy will benefit not only both countries but also "the entire humanity", highlighting stronger investment flows, improved trade opportunities and deeper cultural ties. "A Special Strategic Partnership that will not only benefit our nations but also the entire humanity! The outcomes from my Italy visit will ensure more investment linkages, better trade opportunities, closer cultural linkages and more," the post read. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Rome on Tuesday in the last leg of his five-nation tour following his engagements in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. (ANI)
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