Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on Sunday. The two leaders had last interacted briefly during the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, earlier in June.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Meloni conveyed her solidarity with India over the recent terror attack in Delhi and reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to combating terrorism. Both leaders adopted the India–Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism, aimed at strengthening cooperation against terror networks and enhancing coordination in multilateral platforms such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF).
The two sides reviewed progress under the India–Italy Strategic Partnership, noting positive developments across trade and investment, defence, security, space, science and technology, education, and people-to-people ties. They also expressed satisfaction with the advancement of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–29, the MEA said in a statement.
The two leaders also welcomed the successful business fora held earlier this year in New Delhi and Brescia, which saw strong participation from industry leaders. They noted ongoing efforts to boost cooperation in business, technology, innovation, and investment, with a focus on improving economic competitiveness and building resilient supply chains, the MEA added.
Prime Minister Modi and Meloni appreciated the recent visit of an Italian space delegation to India, which is expected to strengthen collaboration in the space sector at both government and private levels.
The Italian PM reiterated her country’s strong support for concluding a mutually beneficial India–EU Free Trade Agreement and welcomed India’s plans to host the AI Impact Summit in 2026.
According to the foreign ministy, the meeting reaffirmed the tradition of regular high-level engagement between the two nations. The leaders expressed their intention to continue working closely in global and multilateral platforms to uphold shared values of democracy, rule of law, and sustainable development.