Johannesburg, November 25: India and Italy on Sunday announced a new joint initiative to strengthen cooperation against the financing of terrorism as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
The two leaders adopted the India-Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism, reaffirming their shared commitment to combating terrorism and dismantling its global support networks, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Modi said the meeting underscored the growing depth of the India-Italy Strategic Partnership. “This is a necessary and timely effort, which will strengthen humanity’s fight against terrorism and its support networks,” he said in a social media post.
Meloni expressed solidarity with India following a recent terror incident in Delhi and reiterated Italy’s strong commitment to working closely with New Delhi on counter-terrorism cooperation.
The leaders also reviewed progress under the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–29, noting advancements in defence, security, trade, science and technology, space cooperation and education. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached about $15 billion in 2023–24, while Italian investments in India stand at roughly $4 billion since 2000.
Both sides welcomed the business forums held in New Delhi and Brescia earlier this year and encouraged deeper ties in technology, innovation and supply-chain resilience. They also noted recent collaboration in the space sector following an Italian space delegation’s visit to India.
Meloni reiterated Italy’s support for concluding a mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement and voiced confidence in the upcoming AI Impact Summit that India will host in 2026.
The leaders said they looked forward to continued cooperation at multilateral forums, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF), to uphold shared values of democracy, rule of law and sustainable development.
