Indian PM Modi meets Italian counterpart Mario Draghi, holds extensive talks on diversifying bilateral ties

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (October 29) held the first in-person meeting with his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome. PM Modi was also accorded a guard of honour. The official Twitter handle of the office of the Prime Minister of India informed that the leaders had extensive talks on diversifying India-Italy ties during their meeting. 

Arindam Bagchi, who is the spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted, "Synergising the India-Italy Partnership! PM @narendramodi was received by the Italian PM Mario Draghi, as he arrived at Palazzo Chigi for their first in-person meeting. Both leaders inspected the guard of honour before proceeding for delegation level talks."

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India-Italy ties

Italy is among India's top five trading partners in the EU. India ranks 19th as the country of origin of Italian imports, accounting for 1.2 per cent of Italian imports. 

Italy ranked 18th in FDI inflows in India from April 2000 to December 2020 with an FDI inflow of USD 3.02 billion during this period.

PM Modi's Rome visit

The Indian PM arrived in Rome on Friday and was received by senior officials of the Government of Italy and the Ambassador of India in Italy.

After arriving, PM Modi tweeted, "Landed in Rome to take part in the @g20org Summit, an important forum to deliberate on key global issues. I also look forward to other programmes through this visit to Rome."

PM Modi was welcomed by an exuberant crowd in Rome as Sansrikt chants reverberated at the Piazza Gandhi, where he paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's bust. 

The Indian Prime Minister waved and smiled as several members of the expat community jostled to take photos with him. 

Taking to his official Twitter handle, PM Modi wrote, "In Rome, I had the opportunity to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, whose ideals give courage and inspiration to millions globally."