ITALY VIEWS INDIA AS A KEY PARTNER: AMBASSADOR RAO

'We are looking at broadening the overall defence engagement across various pillars.'

- MANISH CHAND

In an insightful conversation, India’s Ambassador to Italy, Vani Sarraju Rao discusses the key outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the margins of the G7 summit in Puglia, Italy. Ambassador Rao highlights the growing cooperation between India and Italy in trade, defence, and technology, and the mutual benefits of leveraging each nation’s strengths. Q: How do you assess PM Modi’s talks with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni? What were the key outcomes? In which specific areas can we expect marked momentum in the coming days? A: PM Modi had an excellent meeting with Prime Minister Meloni. A leader-level rapport is always beneficial, enabling both governments to be more aspirational regarding the bilateral agenda. The two governments seek to do more in two or three key areas. One is the political dialogue, which they aim to maintain and continue, covering both bilateral and global issues.

Secondly, trade and investment ties between the two countries are still very low. There is a keen interest in diversifying these, and exploring more collaborations to benefit from each other’s technologies and complementary strengths. The defence and security domain is also a significant area of focus. All these areas saw exchanges of visits last year.

Lastly, migration and mobility is an area of mutual interest. Given the demographics of both countries, the exchange of professionals, researchers, and students will be immensely valuable for both sides.

Q: Enhancing defence industrial collaboration has become an important focus area for the India-Italy partnership. What can we expect in terms of defence collaboration?