New Delhi, April 13 (NationPress) The anticipated visit of Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto to India is set for early next year, highlighting the continuous efforts of both nations to explore the remarkable potential of their strategic partnership. This collaboration is propelled by a mutual vision established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, who have convened five times over the past two years.

In a special interview with IANS, Italian Ambassador to India Antonio Bartoli disclosed that the Italy-India Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029, which was introduced by both leaders during their conversations at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro last month, has injected further energy and substance into the bilateral agenda.

“Defence and space rank highest on the agenda of the Joint Strategic Action Plan, indicating our commitment to expanding our presence in the Indo-Pacific region,” Bartoli confirmed to IANS regarding the forthcoming visits of the Italian Deputy PM and Defence Minister.

Since the visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Rome last year, both nations have been actively exploring opportunities for joint development, which includes promoting the collaboration between Indian start-ups and Italian defence firms. This was during Singh's in-depth discussions with Crosetto on various defence cooperation matters, such as training, information sharing, maritime exercises, and security.

In October, India welcomed the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and frigate ITS Alpino during their inaugural deployment in the Indo-Pacific—a visit that Rome emphasized as a sign of the significance it places on the Indo-Pacific and its desire to strengthen ties with India.

“The concept of 'Make in India' is also applicable to the defence sector, as our defence industries are enthusiastic and prepared to relocate some production here and initiate co-design and co-production projects with Indian industries. The next step is to pinpoint this area and advance accordingly,” the Italian Ambassador stated to IANS.

The Joint Strategic Action Plan outlines interactions among the respective Armed Forces in light of Italy's increasing interest in the Indo-Pacific, with the goal of enhancing interoperability and collaboration, including discussions for beneficial arrangements supporting such interactions.

Furthermore, it emphasizes exploring opportunities for improved partnerships and dialogues among public and private entities, with a focus on technological collaboration, co-production, and co-development of defence platforms and equipment, in addition to negotiating a Defence Industrial Roadmap between the two Defence Ministries and promoting a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and the Italian Industries Federation for Aerospace, Defence and Security (AIAD).