Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, on Friday expressed strong interest in expanding economic cooperation with India. Speaking at the “Italy-India Business, Science and Technology Forum,” Tajani said Italy is keen to invest more in India, increase exports, and encourage greater Indian investments in Italy.
He described India as a vital partner for ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific region—a key factor in strengthening global trade. “India is an economy with enormous potential, and we are committed to deepening our collaboration,” Tajani said.
Highlighting the robust bilateral relationship, he added, “Italy and India are natural economic partners. Our bilateral trade has surpassed $14 billion, and we want to take this further. This includes expanding our trade, increasing Italian investments in India, and welcoming more Indian investments in Italy.”
He noted that areas such as innovation, artificial intelligence, supercomputing, space technology, and defence present significant opportunities for joint ventures and partnerships between the two nations.
India’s Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, also present at the forum, echoed Tajani’s views. He emphasised that the bilateral trade relationship holds untapped potential and can grow further through seamless cooperation, facilitation of investments, and elimination of barriers to doing business.
Goyal noted that India’s economy is on a trajectory to expand from $4 trillion to $30–35 trillion by 2047. “Our vision of Viksit Bharat makes India a compelling case for deeper engagement with the European Union, particularly with Italy,” he said.
He also pointed to new areas for cooperation, including fashion, luxury goods, food processing, pharmaceuticals, tourism, green technology, advanced manufacturing, and automobiles.
Amidst global uncertainties, Goyal said, the Italy-India partnership offers reassurance and promise. He described the forum as a timely platform to advance the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–29, launched by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Giorgia Meloni in November 2024. “It is an ambitious, forward-looking roadmap focused on trade, investment, and innovation,” he said.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar added that the combination of India’s growth trajectory and the technological capabilities of Italian industry creates a strong foundation for collaboration. “Make in India today offers a powerful platform for this partnership to flourish,” he said.
— IANS
