India and Italy are not strangers brought together by modern diplomacy alone. Their contact reaches back to ancient trade routes, maritime exchange and cultural curiosity. Italian port cities were part of the old spice route, Marco Polo travelled to India in the 13th century, Rabindranath Tagore visited Italy in 1926, and Mahatma Gandhi passed through Rome in 1931 on his way back from the Round Table Conference in London.
Modern diplomatic relations were established in 1947. In 2023, both countries marked 75 years of diplomatic relations, and the relationship entered a new phase marked by strategic planning, counter-terrorism cooperation, defence engagement, cultural activity, technology dialogue and India–Europe connectivity.
The present political relationship is no longer episodic. It now carries a roadmap: the Joint Strategic Plan of Action 2025–29, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in November 2024. Its core language is practical — co-production, innovation, research and development, mobility and business collaboration.
Over the Year
- Ancient connect: India and Italy share old civilisational contact through trade routes, travel writing, cultural exchange and maritime history.
- Diplomatic beginning: India and Italy established diplomatic relations in 1947, soon after India’s independence.
- Seventy-five-year milestone: The two countries celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2023.
- Meloni’s first State Visit: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s first State Visit after taking office was to India in March 2023.
- Raisina link: PM Meloni was Chief Guest at the Raisina Dialogue during her 2023 visit.
- G20 visibility: PM Meloni participated in the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi in September 2023.
- Italy and India-led initiatives: During the G20 Summit, Italy joined the India-backed India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor and the Global Biofuels Alliance.
- Modi in Italy: PM Modi visited Italy in October 2021 for the G20 Summit in Rome and again in June 2024 for the G7 Summit in Puglia.
- Strategic roadmap: PM Modi and PM Meloni announced the Joint Strategic Plan of Action 2025–29 in Rio de Janeiro on 18 November 2024.
- Solidarity after terror attack: PM Meloni called PM Modi on 24 April 2025 to express support after the Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April 2025.
- Counter-terrorism resolve: In November 2025, both Prime Ministers adopted the India–Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism.
- AI summit support: PM Meloni expressed strong support for India’s AI Summit hosted in February 2026.
- G7 cooperation: India supported Italy’s G7 Presidency in 2024 and participated in several G7 ministerial meetings in Italy.
- Foreign Ministers’ channel: EAM Dr S. Jaishankar visited Italy in November 2024 for the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting.
- Trade diplomacy: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Italy in 2024 for the G7 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting.
- Parliamentary bridge: Italy has an India–Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group, while India constituted an 11-member Parliamentary Friendship Group for Italy in March 2026.
- Pahalgam outreach: An all-party delegation of Indian MPs visited Italy in May 2025 to present India’s position after the Pahalgam attack.
- FOC mechanism: The latest Foreign Office Consultations were held in New Delhi on 20 March 2026.
- IMEEC priority: Italy is a founding member of IMEEC and appointed a Special Envoy for the corridor.
- Digital corridor: Sparkle of the TIM Group has a strategic partnership with Airtel and activated the Blue-Raman submarine cable between India and Genoa.
- Defence recovery: Defence cooperation has expanded through dialogue, training, industrial links, naval exercises, port calls and maritime security.
- War memory: Indian soldiers played a major role in the Italian Campaign during the Second World War, and 5,782 Indian soldiers were killed in action.
Political Timeline: India–Italy Relations
| Year / Date | Development | Political Meaning |
| 13th century | Marco Polo travelled to India and wrote about his experiences. | Early cultural curiosity linked Italy with India’s wider world. |
| 1926 | Rabindranath Tagore visited Italy. | Literary and cultural exchange acquired a modern face. |
| 1931 | Mahatma Gandhi visited Rome. | India’s freedom movement touched Italian soil. |
| World War II | Indian troops fought in Italy against German and Mussolini’s forces. | Created a solemn military memory in the relationship. |
| 1947 | India and Italy established diplomatic relations. | Formal modern relations began. |
| 2021 | PM Modi visited Italy for the G20 Summit in Rome. | Renewed Prime Ministerial-level engagement. |
| March 2023 | PM Giorgia Meloni visited India and attended Raisina Dialogue. | Marked a major political reset. |
| September 2023 | PM Meloni attended the G20 Summit in New Delhi. | Italy joined IMEEC and the Global Biofuels Alliance. |
| October 2023 | Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh visited Italy. | Defence cooperation gained new momentum. |
| June 2024 | PM Modi visited Italy for the G7 Summit in Puglia. | India–Italy contact deepened through the G7 format. |
| 18 November 2024 | PM Modi and PM Meloni met at the G20 Summit in Rio. | The Joint Strategic Plan of Action 2025–29 was announced. |
| 24 April 2025 | PM Meloni called PM Modi after the Pahalgam terror attack. | Italy expressed solidarity with India. |
| May 2025 | Indian all-party MPs’ delegation visited Italy after Pahalgam. | Parliamentary diplomacy supported India’s counter-terrorism outreach. |
| June 2025 | PM Modi briefly met PM Meloni at the G7 Summit in Canada. | The leadership channel remained active. |
| 10 September 2025 | PM Modi and PM Meloni spoke by telephone. | Continued regular leadership contact. |
| 23 November 2025 | PM Modi met PM Meloni at G20 Johannesburg. | Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism was adopted. |
| 20 March 2026 | Foreign Office Consultations held in New Delhi. | Diplomatic review mechanism remained active. |
| 29–30 April 2026 | Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto visited India. | Defence and industrial partnership discussions deepened. |
Major Political, Strategic and Institutional Mechanisms
| Area | Mechanism / Agreement | Why It Matters |
| Strategic roadmap | Joint Strategic Plan of Action 2025–29 | Sets direction for co-production, innovation, R&D, mobility and business collaboration. |
| Diplomatic review | Foreign Office Consultations | Provides a formal mechanism to review bilateral relations. |
| Economic coordination | Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation | Anchors trade and investment dialogue. |
| Counter-terrorism | Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism | Builds structured security cooperation. |
| Terror financing | India–Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism | Converts shared concern on terrorism into an operational framework. |
| Cyber cooperation | Bilateral Cyber Dialogue | Adds digital security to the partnership. |
| Defence | Defence Cooperation Agreement, 2023 | Gave fresh structure to defence engagement. |
| Defence industry | SIDM–AIAD MoU | Connects Indian and Italian defence industries. |
| IMEEC | Italy as founding member and Special Envoy appointment | Links Italy with India’s connectivity vision towards Europe. |
| India-led platforms | ISA, IORA, CDRI, IPOI, GBA | Shows Italy’s participation in India-backed plurilateral initiatives. |
| Parliamentary ties | India–Italy Parliamentary Friendship Groups | Builds legislative contact on both sides. |