EAM’s opening remarks during meeting with Italian DPM/FM H.E. Mr. Antonio Tajani (December 10, 2025)

Deputy Prime Minister, it is a great pleasure to welcome you and your delegation to India. This is your second visit this year, but the fact that you come so often is very welcome for us. It shows a very strong commitment, it has led to a very good relationship between us personally, between our governments, and our partnership which is built on democratic values, respect for our civilizations, for culture, for heritage, and our commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous world. As I said, these meetings we have in each other's countries, and also sometimes when we are somewhere else are very useful, we constantly talk to each other, we review our agenda, and today I want to welcome you and your delegation to India. You have just had a very good meeting with the Prime Minister, so I think in many ways that has given a very clear direction to the future development of our ties.

I want to thank you also for the message of solidarity from the Government of Italy when we had this terror incident last month in New Delhi.

Of course, recently when our Prime Ministers met in the G20 in Johannesburg, we announced the Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism - that was a very positive step. We work with Italy, and regard you as one of our closest partners, including in the FATF - the Financial Action Task Force.

You have come with a business delegation, I am very happy tomorrow you will be meeting with the Commerce and Industry Minister Goel in Mumbai, and we are really moving forward on the Joint Strategic Action Plan for 2025-29, of which a big part of it was the economic collaboration, and you have taken leadership in moving that. I am sure you will have very very good discussions.

But today I would like to discuss with you political cooperation, defence, maritime security, space, in which you have great interest, culture, critical technologies - see how we can take our Strategic Action Plan forward, how to promote people-to-people ties, and I would of course also like to discuss a number of regional and global issues, what is happening in the Indo-Pacific, we both have an interest in what we call West Asia, Middle East for you, I would also like to get your assessment on the Ukraine conflict, and the diplomacy which is taking place in that regard. We cooperate very closely in the United Nations and in other formats.

So, I am sure we will have a very good discussion. Once again, a very very warm welcome to you, and I would request you to make your remarks.

New Delhi
December 10, 2025