ENA Sectors 2024-11-20 17:40:17 <p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong>New Delhi, Nov 20 (KNN)</strong> On November 18, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held a significant bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where they outlined a bold vision for deepening cooperation in defence, security, trade, technology, and cultural exchange.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The result of their discussions was the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29, which sets the tone for a new era in India-Italy relations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The two leaders agreed to negotiate a defence industrial roadmap, aimed at enhancing collaboration between their Ministries of Defence. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">A key feature of this roadmap will be a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers and Italys Industries Federation for Aerospace, Defence, and Security. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The plan also includes fostering military-to-military exchanges and improving interoperability, particularly as Italy increases its strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific region. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">This follows growing defence engagements, including the historic maritime exercise conducted last month off Indias Goa coast, involving Indias INS Vikramaditya and Italys ITS Cavour.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">In addition to defence, the action plan highlights strong ambitions in the maritime and port sectors, including mutual agreements on enhancing maritime pollution response and search-and-rescue operations. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">Both nations also aim to expand industrial partnerships, with particular emphasis on automotive, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing, as well as fostering closer cooperation in space exploration through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">Migration and mobility were another crucial area of discussion. The leaders agreed to promote legal migration of skilled workers while addressing irregular migration issues. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">A pilot project will focus on training health professionals in India for employment opportunities in Italy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">This meeting marks a new chapter in India-Italy relations, emphasising mutual benefit and shared growth, and lays the groundwork for stronger bilateral cooperation across diverse sectors in the coming years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px"><em><strong>(KNN Bureau)</strong></em></span></p> 39985 https://knnindia.co.in/news/newsdetails/sectors/india-and-italy-to-negotiate-defence-industrial-roadmap 2024-11-20 17:40:17 knnindia.co.in