India-Italy joint statement: 6 MoUs signed, counterterrorism cooperation gets boost
What's the story
PM Narendra Modi "discussed several aspects of cooperation between India and Italy" during delegation-level talks with Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni during the latter's visit to New Delhi. Modi praised the close India-Italy ties and said both countries have the potential to boost annual bilateral trade beyond $8.8 billion. He said both countries are committed to collaborating on fighting terrorism and improving cybersecurity.
Twitter Post
Business leaders from Italy and India discuss trade
PM @narendramodi and PM Paolo Gentiloni interact with 12 Indian & 19 Italian Business Leaders for boosting economic & investment cooperation pic.twitter.com/zQxDXi6uap
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) October 30, 2017
MoUs signed
India-Italy sign 6 MoUs across various areas
The six MoUs signed between India and Italy were clubbed under the 'Partnering for Progress' and included areas such as railways, energy, and cultural cooperation. Modi and Gentiloni also said they would boost tourism and people-to-people ties between both countries. Modi said both countries would complete 70 years of diplomatic relations in March 2018 and agreed to release two commemorative stamps to celebrate this.
Twitter Post
Stamps unveiled to commemorate 70 years of India-Italy diplomatic ties
70 Years of Diplomatic Relationship
— Indian Diplomacy (@IndianDiplomacy) October 30, 2017
PM @narendramodi & Italian PM @PaoloGentiloni released commemorative stamps to mark the occasion pic.twitter.com/1DGjpBmvqK
Improving ties
After diplomatic freeze, India-Italy ties back on track
Gentiloni commenced his two-day bilateral visit to India on October 29, making it the first such visit by an Italian PM in a decade. Diplomatic ties between India and Italy came to a near standstill after two Italian marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, shot dead two Indian fishermen off Kerala's coast in 2012. The latest joint statement indicates ties are back on track.