EAM Jaishankar’s visit to Italy: How two ancient civilizations bolster strategic partnership in Indo-Mediterranean

On Friday, the External Affairs Minister (EAM) concluded his two-day visit to Italy, calling on the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, at his official residence, the Quirinale. Jaishankar’s two-day trip to Italy reinforced India-Italy relations, and during the bilateral meeting with deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, the two leaders signed the Migration Mobility Partnership Agreement between the countries. “Mobility and migration are today intrinsic elements of our globalised and interdependent existence. The challenge for diplomacy is to make this work to mutual benefit,” Jaishankar had said earlier. The EAM also found time in his rather packed schedule to reach out to Italian parliamentarians and thought leaders, reinforcing people-to-people links and reaching out to civil society. Jaishankar arrived in Rome from a visit to Lisbon, where he not only met with Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa but also with the dynamic Indian diaspora. His first engagement in Rome was at the Senate of the Italian Republic, where he was hosted by Senator Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, President of the Italy-India Parliamentary friendship group. Attending a joint session of the Senate’s important committees on European Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Defence convened in his honour, Jaishankar answered questions from the present senators on wide-ranging issues, from Italy-India relations to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). In his opening remarks, welcoming Jaishankar to the Senate, Terzi mentioned that “Italy, EU and India share the need that the international context must be based on rules and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, fundamental for the stability and vision of an open Indo-Pacific, and respectful of the rules of sovereignty and integrity of nations.” Senator Terzi also referred to Italy’s commitment to the IMEC, which he considered a return of the old cotton route that bound India’s ancient trade with Europe prior to colonisation. A very successful visit to the Senate of the Republic was followed by a meeting with Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto. A few weeks ago, during Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh’s visit to Rome, India and Italy signed a MoU on advanced defence cooperation. The Indian ambassador to Rome, Neena Malhotra, hosted a lunch in honour of Minister Jaishankar. The lunch was attended by the who’s-who of Italy’s stakeholders, with a strong representation of India’s diaspora in Italy. Later, explaining India’s foreign policy during an interview with Italy’s oldest daily, Corriere della Sera, the EAM said, “The two big contradictions of our times are the East-West polarisation that currently centres around the Ukraine conflict and the North-South divide accentuated by the Covid impact. During its G20 Presidency, India displayed an ability to bridge both of them and help create common ground for a global agenda.” Jaishankar also conducted a closed-door meeting with Italy’s important think tanks and thought leaders, exchanging opinions and discussing India’s perspective on global issues as well as understanding Italian and European points of view. Jaishankar’s visit consolidated the strategic partnership between India and Italy as declared by Prime Ministers Modi and Meloni in New Delhi in March. After long years of discord, Italy-India relations are at a new high, with Prime Minister Meloni visiting India twice this year, once for a bilateral visit during the Raisina dialogues in March and later for the G20 Heads of State meeting in September. The relationship between India and Italy encompasses the most volatile and vulnerable area in the world, the Indo-Mediterranean, and both ancient cultural superpowers now share joint responsibility to maintain some stability in a fast-evolving global geopolitical scenario. The author is an Indo-Italian entrepreneur and has over 24 years of leadership and entrepreneurial experience across a wide range of disciplines including pharmaceuticals, technology, renewable energy, strategic consulting, not-for-profit and development in over 30 countries. He is also the founder of the Dialogue on Democracy. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.