Italy PM visits India, searching for to enhance ties

NEW DELHI: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni landed in India on Thursday, because the international locations look to enhance ties damage by the 2012 capturing of two fishermen by Italian marines off the southern Indian coast.

India and Italy are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations this 12 months and the Indian international ministry mentioned the international locations would look to strengthen safety, defence and financial relations.

Meloni, the primary Italian prime minister to go to India in 5 years, will meet her counterpart Narendra Modi throughout her go to and in addition handle a convention backed by the Indian international ministry on Friday.

“Prime Minister Meloni’s go to is anticipated to additional strengthen and deepen the long-standing relationship between India and Italy,” the Indian international ministry mentioned in a press release.

“Each side will … strengthen safety and defence cooperation, work in direction of nearer financial ties, improve alternative for mobility of expertise and provides strategic steering to ongoing collaboration in science & expertise.”

India’s Supreme Courtroom mentioned in June 2021 that it had closed all proceedings towards two Italian marines over the capturing after Rome paid $1.36 million in compensation.

Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, who had been arrested in February 2012 over the capturing, mentioned the killings had been unintentional as they mistook the fishermen for pirates and fired warning photographs whereas on responsibility on the Italian oil tanker “Enrica Lexie”.

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The Indian courtroom had earlier barred the Italian ambassador from leaving the nation over the capturing, resulting in a diplomatic spat between the international locations.

In one other blow to ties, India in 2013 cancelled a 560 million euro ($596 million) helicopter take care of AgustaWestland, a part of Italian defence group Finmeccanica, following a bribery scandal.

The scandal raised political temperatures in each Italy and India and tarnished the corporate’s fame at a time when India had established itself as one the world’s largest arms consumers.

Italy’s supreme courtroom later acquitted two former executives of the Rome-based group in 2019 in relation to the case.