New Delhi: HE Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of Italy today while addressing the ‘Italy-India Business, Science and Technology Forum’ said that this forum is part of the strategic partnership plan signed by both the governments. “India is an important country for stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Stability is crucial to strengthen the trade,” he emphasized.
Addressing the forum, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that India is an economy with enormous potential, and we want to strengthen this cooperation. “Italy and India are natural economic partners. Together we want to strengthen our cooperation for a partnership that looks at the future through higher education, innovation and research. Today, Italy and India are closer than ever. Our bilateral trade is over $ 14 billion, and we want to invest more in India, export more to India, and attract more Indian investments in Italy,” he added.
Innovation, AI, super computers, space technology, defence are a few sectors which have potential for joint partnerships and both countries should work to attract investments in these areas, he highlighted.
Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India said that the direction of India’s progress and capabilities of Italian industry make for a good combination. “Make In India, today offers a platform or pathway for that collaboration to unfold,” he added.
He further stated that India has been working with like-minded partners to build a resilient and trusted partnerships that we need now to address not only our economic but strategic priorities as well and for us, Italy ranks high in that list. Dr Jaishankar also added that there are natural complementarities in many sectors including energy, transport, food processing, light engineering which both nations need to exploit. “Italy has the technologies and best practices that could make such collaboration more fruitful,” he asserted.
Dr Jaishankar stated that the landmark initiative of ‘India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor’, will create a global access for economics, energy resources and communications. “India is not just growing, the nature of growth itself undergoing a shift,” he added. This is now a society focused on innovation and creativity where start-ups, AI, EVs, Drones, space and nano technologies are growing and will be the drivers of growth in future.
Mr Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of India said there is further scope for expansion in the bilateral trade between India and Italy if we work seamless with each other, encourage investments, promote businesses without roadblocks.
Mr Goyal further stated that Indian economy is slated to grow from $4 trillion to $30-35 trillion by 2047, our goal of Viksit Bharat makes India a compelled case to deepen the engagement between the European Union and India, particularly Italy and India. There are untapped newer areas like fashion, luxury goods, food processing, pharmaceuticals, tourism, green technology, advanced manufacturing, automobiles,” he emphasized.
Mr Goyal added that amidst all the global challenges that the world is experiencing, it is very reassuring to see the strength and depth of the Italy-India friendship. “This forum is a very timely platform and a good opportunity for all of us to collectively resolve to implement the Joint Strategic Action plan 2025-29 launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in November of 2024. It is a very forward-looking, ambitious and pragmatic roadmap with a strong focus on trade, investment, innovation,” he added.
HE Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of Universities and Research of Italy said that Italy and India share a commitment to research and innovation, as well as to sustainable development and socio-economic transformation. “Both nations are implementing ambitious reforms and investments to advance their respective systems,” she added.
Mr Harsha Vardhan Agarwal, President, FICCI and Vice Chairman & MD, Emami Limited said that the world today has become highly uncertain and complex. “The recent geopolitical developments have underscored the global economy’s growing vulnerabilities and further fragmentation. The need to strengthen ties between like-minded economies like India and Italy has become extremely important today,” he added.
Mr Umesh Chowdhary, Vice Chairman & MD, Titagarh Rail Systems Limited said that India and Italy share a much deeper connection than trade with shared values and an opportunity to enhancing a 360-degree relationship between the two countries.