Strategic action plan to strengthen ties between India and Italy : Adolfo Urso
MUMBAI : The five-year strategic action plan to strengthen ties between India and Italy, unveiled by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni will lead to improved ties between the two nations, a senior Italian minister said on Saturday.
Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, was speaking in Mumbai at the Villaggio Italia exposition, being held to coincide with the port of call of Amerigo Vespucci, a 93-year-old Italian Navy ship used for training and supporting national diplomacy.
The plan, announced at the G20 summit, focuses on 10 key areas including defense, trade, clean energy, and connectivity, aiming to deepen collaboration and boost economic ties.
The Italian minister referred to five bilateral meetings between Modi and Meloni over the last two years, and said, “The time is right. Italy and India can work best by guaranteeing, among other things, full reliability and continuity of governments.” Urso said that India and Italy, due to their “geographical, cultural, political, economic and productive conditions”, represent a link between Europe and Asia.
Dwelling on the importance of the Indian port system for Asia, Urso spoke of the maritime routes to the Mediterranean ports of Europe and in particular to the Italian ports with railway infrastructure and logistics connections.
Referring to the Russia-Ukraine war, Urso highlighted the importance of maritime routes “in the backdrop of what is unfortunately happening on the eastern continental border of Europe”.
He also referred to the Blue Raman submarine cable project, undertaken by Italian firm Sparkle. The project, which aims to connect Mumbai and Genoa, represents a significant step towards integrating the two nations into a broader digital connectivity framework.
Urso said his ministry has created an increasingly convenient climate for foreign investments. He said there are various procedures depending on the quantum of investment, if it is up to 25 million Euros, or up to 400 million Euros, or above one billion Euros.
“My ministry provides each investor with a guide who accompanies him in every phase of the investment process. There is a map already on the internet in which over 200 industrial sites are identified,” he said.
Urso said industries will grow together on the “manufacturing platforms” created by the Modi government.
Italy looks forward to technological, scientific and industrial partnership with India, the minister said, adding the world needs more and more cooperation.
With a crew of 250, Amerigo Vespucci, often considered the most beautiful in the world, set sail from its home in La Spezia on July 1, 2023 and docked at the Mumbai Port Authority’s Indira Dock earlier this week.
Mumbai is the ship’s 28th port of call; it set sail with a promise of 30 port calls, across 28 countries and five continents.
The Villaggio Italia expo showcases Italian design, photography and technology, along with live music by the Italian Air Force band, film screenings in collaboration with the Venice International Film Festival of La Biennale di Venezia, apart from talks and conferences.
“This ship is an Italian floating embassy,” said Amerigo Vespucci’s deputy commanding officer Tomaso Ferrando.