Boosting trade and connectivity. Italy and India are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance port collaboration, streamline trade exchanges, and simplify procedures.
- Antonio Bartoli, Italy’s Ambassador to India, highlighted the transformative potential of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) in promoting stability and fostering shared prosperity for the Middle East.
- Speaking to our sister website Formiche.net, Bartoli described the corridor as an economic multiplier and a conduit for dialogue and cooperation between regions critical to global stability.
- He also referred to the Blue Raman submarine cable project, undertaken by Italian firm Sparkle, as a digital extension of the corridor’s physical infrastructure.
- The project, which aims to connect Mumbai and Genoa, represents a significant step towards integrating the two nations into a broader digital connectivity framework.
Strategic alignment in the Indo-Mediterranean. Italy and India share economic and geostrategic complementarities in the larger Indo-Mediterranean region, presenting common challenges and opportunities.
- Last week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a five-year strategic action plan during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
- “We recognise that our stability and prosperity are also linked to the Indo-Pacific region—geographically distant yet vital to our interests,” Bartoli noted.
- He also underscored the importance of freedom of navigation for both nations.
- “As an exporting nation, freedom of navigation is critical for us, just as it is for Delhi—from Malacca to the Red Sea. For both, connectivity is paramount, particularly through global maritime routes,” he added.
High-level engagements. India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, is currently in Italy to participate in the Outreach session of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where India has been invited as a guest country.
- During his visit, he is holding bilateral talks and attending the 10th edition of the MED Mediterranean Dialogues in Rome, organised by ISPI in collaboration with Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Jaishankar also inaugurated the new premises of the Indian Embassy in Rome, where he emphasised the shared vision of the Indo-Mediterranean region and the potential of IMEC.
- In his address at the MED Dialogues, he highlighted that IMEC can be a game changer despite the challenges posed by the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict. However, he noted that the project is advancing, particularly on the eastern front, with strong cooperation between India, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
- Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani echoed these sentiments during his remarks at the MED Dialogues, describing IMEC as “crucial.”
Soon, in India. Tajani is scheduled to visit India in the coming months, where he will co-chair a major business forum aimed at bolstering economic ties between the two nations.
- This growing partnership underscores the strategic importance of the Indo-Mediterranean region and the pivotal roles that Italy and India intend to play in shaping its future.
- Italy’s historic training ship Nave Amerigo Vespucci, a global ambassador of Italian excellence, is currentlynavigating the Indian Ocean en route to Mumbai after a stop in Phuket, Thailand.
- For the first time in its 93-year history, the iconic vessel of the Italian Navy will dock in Mumbai from 28 November to 2 December.
