Deputy PM Tajani's visit marks 'important milestone' in Italy-India ties; tech, innovation came in focus

New Delhi: The recent visit of Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani to India marked an "important milestone" in Italy-India ties, bolstering bilateral cooperation in a range of areas including trade and investment, science and technology, and innovation.

The Italian Embassy in New Delhi in a statement shared some of the high points of the visit from April 11-12, including the signing of a raft of agreements and Tajani's meeting with Indian leaders during which he expressed commitment to work towards strengthening and expanding the foundations of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

"The visit to New Delhi by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani and Minister for University and Research Anna Maria Bernini, which concluded on April 12, marked an important milestone in the relationship between Italy and India and in the implementation of the joint Strategic Action Plan signed by Prime Ministers Meloni and Modi last November," it said.

During his visit, Tajani had called on President Droupadi Murmu and met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

"Italy and India are united by deep bonds of friendship, shared values, and a close political dialogue. My commitment is to work towards strengthening and expanding the foundations of the strategic partnership between our countries," Tajani said during his meeting with President Murmu.

At the heart of the visit was the intensification of political dialogue -- with numerous institutional visits already carried out or planned -- and economic and scientific cooperation, with a strong emphasis on innovation, said the statement dated April 14.

"India plays a crucial role in global affairs," Tajani noted during political consultations with Foreign Minister Jaishankar.

"It is a strategic market for our businesses and exports. It is at the core of the Export Plan I recently launched. Both of us are key players in the IMEC initiative, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, of which India and Italy, with the port of Trieste, are natural terminals," the Deputy Prime Minister was quoted as saying in the statement.

Tajani had also recalled the many visits of Italian Navy units to Indian ports -- with two more planned between May and June -- as a demonstration of the attention given to the Indo-Pacific, the Embassy said.

He highlighted the "appointment of Ambassador Talo' as the Special Envoy for IMEC" and announced the organisation of a summit in Trieste with the foreign ministers of the countries involved in the project.

On the science, research, and technology front, another key pillar of the bilateral partnership, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister had announced a "strengthening of the Italian team in India".

A space attaché will be assigned to the Embassy in Delhi to ensure continuity in space dialogue between governments. A second science attaché will take office at the Consulate General in Bengaluru.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian Department of Science and Technology signed the 2025-2027 Executive Protocol on scientific cooperation, selecting several joint projects. A Memorandum of Understanding on joint projects and researchers' mobility was also signed.

"These agreements will allow for deepened collaboration in areas such as biomedical robotics, green energy, AI, quantum technology, infectious diseases, carbon capture, gene therapy, and cultural heritage preservation," the statement said.

The first Science and Innovation Dialogue brought together many of the best research centres and universities from both Italy and India, represented by their respective rectors, to map potential synergies in cutting-edge areas: quantum technology, big data, biotechnology, advanced materials, space and astrophysics, and renewable energy.

The statement also highlighted the large Business, Scientific, and Technological Forum in which External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and the Deputy Prime Minister participated.

Around 500 Italian and Indian companies, along with numerous start-ups and industrial associations, held direct meetings (400 B2B) and B2G interactions with Delhi government agencies and representatives between April 10 and 11.

Italian CEOs exchanged ideas and projects with their Indian counterparts. The goal, said Tajani at the end of his meeting with Minister Goyal, "is to strengthen trade between our economies, diversify supply chains, and give new momentum to bilateral trade. This also includes concluding the EU-India Free Trade Agreement."

Tajani also inaugurated the SIMEST (Italian internationalisation agency) office at the Embassy, which will have a dedicated fund of Euro 500 million to support Italian companies in developing business and investments in India.

SACE (Italian export-credit agency) increased its push-strategy fund by Euro 200 million (which has so far guaranteed up to Euro 3 billion in loans to Indian buyers), it said.

Tajani had also announced the creation of an Innovit Bangalore centre to foster synergies between start-ups and innovation ecosystems. Start-ups, accelerators, universities, and venture capital funds discussed this during a specific session of the Business Forum.

There was also a strong focus on culture, sports, and food and wine. Deputy Prime Minister Tajani, alongside Foreign Minister Jaishankar, inaugurated the Magdalene in Ecstasy exhibition -- the first for Caravaggio in India.