Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. They had a productive discussion on deepening ties across trade, investment, defence, innovation, AI, space and education. Both leaders also unveiled a Joint Initiative to enhance cooperation against the financing of terrorism, reinforcing their shared commitment to global security. In a social media post, Prime Minister Modi said the India-Italy Strategic Partnership is growing from strength to strength, greatly benefiting the people of both nations.

 

 

Prime Minister Meloni expressed solidarity with India on the terror incident in Delhi and reiterated Italy’s strong commitment to working together to combat the scourge of terrorism. In this context, both leaders adopted the ‘India-Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism’.

 

 

The initiative aims to deepen bilateral cooperation on countering terrorism and collaboration in global and multilateral platforms, including the Financial Action Task Force and the Global Counter terrorism Forum. She reiterated Italy’s strong support for the conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement and for the success of the AI Impact Summit to be hosted by India in 2026.