Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni grabbed the attention of the audiences as the two leaders took a selfie together at the conclusion of the G7 Summit in Apulia on Friday. The selfie, which showed both leaders smiling, reflected the friendship that the two have shared since they first met at the G20 Summit in Delhi followed by the COP28 conference in Dubai last year.
Their friendly interactions have become a topic of discussion for the online users, giving birth to numerous memes and social media posts. Last December, Meloni shared a similar selfie with Modi during COP28 in Dubai, captioning it, “Good friends at COP28, #Melodi.”
Meeting friends is always a delight. https://t.co/4PWqZZaDKC
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 2, 2023
Prior to the selfie the two national leaders had engaged in a bilateral meeting during the G7 Summit, discussing various aspects of defence and security cooperation between their countries. According to an official release from the Ministry of External Affairs, the discussions focused on enhancing defence industrial collaboration and the forthcoming visit of the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and the training ship ITS Vespucci to India later this year.
Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude to the Italian Government for recognizing the Indian Army’s contributions to the Italian Campaign during World War II. He announced plans to upgrade the Yashwant Ghadge Memorial in Montone, Italy, in honor of Indian soldiers.
“The two sides discussed bilateral defence and security cooperation and hoped for further enhancing the defence industrial collaboration. They welcomed the forthcoming visit of the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and training ship ITS Vespucci to India later this year,” stated the Ministry of External Affairs.
The leaders had also reviewed the progress of the India-Italy Strategic Partnership during the billateral meeting and expressed satisfaction with the regular high-level political dialogue. They emphasized the importance of expanding trade and economic collaboration, particularly in clean energy, manufacturing, space, science and technology, telecommunications, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals to build resilient supply chains.
In this context, they welcomed the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Industrial Property Rights (IPR), which provides a framework for cooperation on patents, designs, and trademarks. Additionally, they noted the signing of a Letter of Intent for Cooperation in Energy Transition, aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation in clean and green energy under the ‘Global Biofuels Alliance.’
Prime Minister Meloni also took the opportunity to congratulate Prime Minister Modi on his third consecutive term in office. Both leaders expressed enthusiasm for the new Executive Programme of Cooperation for 2025-27, designed to promote joint research and development in science and technology.
