Giorgia Meloni is preparing her trip to India where tomorrow she will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ilhi for a bilateral meeting and then attend a courtesy meeting with the President of the Republic Draupadi Murmu. Finally, he will speak at the opening of the VII edition of the Raisina Dialogue conference. The summit will mainly address economic issues and, in particular, strengthening cooperation between Italy and India in the defense sector.
“A general agreement between the two countries on bilateral cooperation in the defense sector is on the table,” revealed a diplomatic source to The Hindu newspaper. The Indian armed forces are among the largest in the world in terms of personnel (1 million 458 thousand members in 2020) and a general modernization of equipment is underway. In 2020, military spending amounted to 2.9% of GDP.
The country, which has numerous nuclear warheads, has not adhered to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Italy can certainly aim to win major orders, especially following New Delhi’s late 2021 repeal of the export ban that had been handed down against Leonardo in 2015 following the case of alleged corruption of Indian officials by Agusta Westland for the supply of 12 AW-101 VVIP helicopters (an issue for which the former managers of Agusta Westland and Finmeccanica were later acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court).
The prime minister’s visit aims to put behind a decade of tensions between Rome and New Delhi, mainly due to the case of the two marines detained in India, namely with a general bilateral agreement in the defense sector. But there is already a solid and far-reaching economic partnership between the two countries. In 2022, trade grew by 42%, exceeding 14.9 billion euros. The balance continues to lean towards India, which exports to Italy more than it imports. However, there are more than 600 Italian companies in India, with an estimated employment of around 25,000 units and forms of presence ranging from 100% owned subsidiaries, joint ventures (preferred solution for SMEs and mandatory in sectors with maximum foreign investment) or commercial representative offices. Machinery and equipment continue to represent the top item of Italian exports to India, with a share of around 35.5%; on the other hand, in Indian exports to Italy, goods belonging to the categories of metallurgy and textile-clothing-leather accessories predominate.
But the prime minister’s program today also includes the first control room meeting to address the drought issue. Firstly, at 11:20 am, there will be a meeting of the Council of Ministers which will be attended by, among others, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida, the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Picetto Fratin.
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
