PM Modi Foreign Visit Highlights: PM Modi wraps up five-nation tour, leaves Italy for India

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi departs for India from Rome, Italy. This marks the conclusion of his five-nation visit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday highlighted the outcomes of his Italy visit after the Ministry of External Affairs shared a list of 15 agreements and initiatives finalised during the trip.

Reacting to the developments, PM said the new India-Italy "Special Strategic Partnership" would benefit not only both countries but "the entire humanity".

"A Special Strategic Partnership that will not only benefit our nations but also the entire humanity!" PM wrote on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he accepted the FAO Agricola Medal with "great humility" and dedicated the honour to India's farmers and food producers.

In a post on X, Modi thanked the Food and Agriculture Organisation for the recognition and said the award belonged to India's "Annadatas".

"I dedicate this honour to India's Annadatas…our food providers," PM Modi wrote. He said the recognition reflected the hard work of farmers, people linked to livestock and fisheries, agricultural scientists and innovators across the country.

The Prime Minister added that the honour also acknowledged India's "unwavering commitment to human welfare, food security and sustainable development".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said his discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were "excellent" and praised her commitment towards strengthening ties between India and Italy.

In a post on X, he said bilateral relations had made "significant progress" across sectors including trade, space and technology, adding that both countries had now elevated ties to a "Special Strategic Partnership".

The Prime Minister also said he and Meloni reviewed the progress of the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 and agreed on the need to further strengthen investments and economic cooperation. He described the proposed India-EU free trade agreement as a "historic opportunity" for boosting ties and said the two leaders also discussed digital infrastructure, connectivity, science and artificial intelligence.

MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Italy came at a time of "significant momentum" in bilateral ties between the two countries.

Speaking in Rome, George said Modi was visiting Italy at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and noted that it was the Indian Prime Minister's first bilateral visit to the country and his third overall trip to Italy.

He added that Meloni hosted a dinner for PM Modi during which both leaders held one-on-one discussions on bilateral relations as well as important regional and global developments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said agriculture in India is deeply linked to culture, values and the country's spiritual connection with nature. Speaking at the FAO Agricola Medal conferment ceremony in Rome, Modi said farming in India was not viewed merely as crop production.

"In Indian culture, agriculture is not just the medium to grow crops. It has been given the status of deep and sacred ties between humans and Mother Earth," he said.

The Prime Minister added that agriculture remained central to India's way of life and cultural identity.

"In India, agriculture is the mainstream of life, it is an integral part of our culture, it is a reflection of our life values," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the FAO Agricola Medal to India's farmers, livestock rearers, fish workers and agricultural scientists after receiving the honour in Rome. Speaking after the award ceremony, PM Modi thanked the Food and Agriculture Organization and its Director-General Qu Dongyu for the recognition.

"This is an honour for not just me but an honour for the crores of farmers in India, livestock rearers, fish rearers, agriculture scientists and our workers," PM Modi said. He said the award also recognised India's commitment to human welfare, food security and sustainable development.

"I accept this medal with great humility and dedicate it to 'annadata' of India," the Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, in Rome. During the meeting, the UN agency also conferred the FAO Agricola Medal on PM Modi.

India and Italy on Wednesday exchanged several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during bilateral engagements in Rome.
 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India and Italy had decided to upgrade bilateral ties to a "Special Strategic Partnership", marking a major step in relations between the two countries.

"I am happy to announce that we are upgrading India-Italy relationship to Special Strategic Partnership," Modi said during a joint press statement with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. The Prime Minister said the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 would provide a "practical and futuristic structure" to the partnership and added that both countries were moving ahead with its implementation in a time-bound manner.

"Trade between our countries is moving towards the 20 billion euros target. Over 800 Italian companies in India are contributing to India's growth story," he said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used a popular Hindi proverb in Hindi while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit and the growing relationship between India and Italy.

Speaking during a joint press statement in Rome, Meloni described Modi's visit as the beginning of "a new page" in ties between the two countries.

"This visit of yours is an honour for us. It opens a new page in the relations with our country," she said. Meloni then referred to the Indian word "parishram", meaning hard work, while speaking about the effort behind stronger bilateral ties.

"There is an Indian word which states that very well — parishram. It means hard work," she said. Quoting a popular Hindi saying in Hindi, Meloni added, "Parishram hi safalta ki kunji hai," before explaining that "hard work is the key to success". She said India and Italy were building their partnership through the same spirit of effort and cooperation.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday said India and Italy had discussed major global crises, including the wars in Ukraine and tensions involving Iran, during her talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rome.

Speaking at a joint press statement, Meloni said both countries supported efforts towards a "lasting and fair peace" in Ukraine.

"We discussed many of the complex scenarios that we are faced with. We talked about Ukraine, we talked about our commitment to achieve a lasting and fair peace," she said.

On Iran, Meloni said both sides hoped ongoing negotiations would continue and end positively. "As to the Iranian crisis, we exchanged our views with a joint hope that the peace negotiations will continue and reach a positive conclusion," she added.

"It is extremely important to have freedom of navigation in the Indo Pacific sector," Meloni said, adding that India and Italy shared the vision of a "free, inclusive and open Indo-Pacific" and would continue working together for peace and stability.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that India and Italy would launch the "Italy-India Year of Culture and Tourism" in 2027 to deepen cultural ties between the two countries. Speaking during a joint press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Meloni said the initiative would help strengthen connections between the two nations’ historic cultures.

"We have decided to launch the Italy-India Year of Culture and Tourism for 2027, which is a unique opportunity to have our century-old cultures develop a dialogue and make them more and more connected," she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India had remained in constant contact with Italy on global conflicts, including Ukraine and tensions in West Asia, while reiterating New Delhi's support for diplomatic solutions.

"We have been in constant contact regarding Ukraine, West Asia, and other tensions," he said.

"India's stance is clear that all problems should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India and Italy shared a common stand against terrorism and stressed the need for stronger action against terror financing networks. Speaking alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, PM Modi said, "India and Italy agree that terrorism is a serious challenge to humanity."

He added that both countries had worked together to present "an important example" in tackling terror financing.

"India and Italy have given this clear message that responsible democracies do not merely condemn terrorism, but also take concrete steps to dismantle its financial networks," PM said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said India and Italy were working to deepen cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including defence, energy, infrastructure and space. Speaking during a joint press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Meloni said both leaders had held extensive discussions on expanding ties between the two countries.

"Our aim is to enhance the complementarity between two countries in many sectors. We have broadly discussed them today as well as last night," she said.

Meloni said areas such as advanced manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, the space economy and defence remained key priorities for cooperation.

"Critical minerals, agro-industry, maritime transportation, tourism and culture are very important opportunities," she added. The Italian Prime Minister also said several important MoUs expected to be signed would help strengthen cooperation "in a wide spectrum of sectors".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday thanked Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for supporting the conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, saying both sides would work towards its early implementation to benefit businesses.

"I thank PM Meloni, for support in the conclusion of India-EU FTA. Together we will work on its early implementation to benefit business communities," PM Modi said.

He also highlighted technology and innovation as key pillars of the India-Italy partnership.

"Technology and innovation are engines of our partnership. There are infinite possibilities for our partnership in the areas of AI, Quantum, Civil Nuclear Energy and Space," PM said. The Prime Minister added that both countries were working on an India-Italy Innovation Centre aimed at connecting startups, research institutions and businesses.

PM Modi, in a joint press statement with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, said: I thank PM Meloni for the grand welcome accorded to me and my delegation. Rome is known as the 'Eternal City' in the world. My Lok Sabha constituency in India, Kashi, is also known similarly. When two civilisations meet, then discussions are not limited to an agenda, but the depth of history, a glimpse of the future and the simplicity of friendship can be seen in it.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, in the joint statement with PM Modi said: It is an honour to pleasure to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his delegation here in Rome on a day on which I truly believe is a historic day for the relations between our two nations. My friend, Narendra Modi has been leading India since 2014. But today, this is his first bilateral mission to Italy. The last visit of an Indian PM on a bilateral mission prior to this, dates back to 2000 - 26 years ago. Today, with this visit, not only are we bridging this gap but together, we have decided to revitalise our relations. This visit is the apex of a path that we have built together with determination, to strengthen the ties between ourselves all the way up to the highest level ever.