India, Italy call for immediate end to Ukraine hostilities, agree to boost bilateral ties

Over Ukraine, the two sides expressed their concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. They also underlined the importance to safeguard the international order based on the UN Charter, with special regard to the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar on Friday afternoon held a crucial bilateral talk with the visiting Italian Foreign Minister Di Maio during which they exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interests including Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Indo-Pacific and cooperation in the multilateral forum including G20.

Over Ukraine, the two sides expressed their concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. They also underlined the importance to safeguard the international order based on the UN Charter, with special regard to the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In the domain of bilateral relations, a key element behind this diplomatic visit from Italy, the two sides also discussed the progress in the implementation of the 2020-2024 Action Plan adopted at the Virtual Summit between the top leaders of the two nations in November 2020.

They welcomed the growing bilateral trade and investment linkages and agreed to expand them in new areas of common interest. They also discussed the implementation of the India-Italy Strategic Partnership on Energy Transition announced last year during Prime Minister's visit to Italy and agreed to explore partnerships in areas such as gas transportation, green hydrogen, biofuels, and energy storage, read a statement from the MEA.

In addition, they agreed to jointly organize an India - Italy Tech Summit on Energy Transition and Circular Economy, to be held in Delhi on 17 November this year. The two leaders noted the potential for closer industrial collaboration, including in the field of defense. They reiterated their commitment to closely work in countering common challenges related to terrorism, violent extremism, and cybercrime said a statement.

During the visit, the Italian Foreign Minister also had a meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and co-chaired a business round-table which saw the participation of top business leaders, particularly in the energy, defense, and sustainable mobility, and infrastructure sectors.

It is pertinent to note here that on Thursday, the visiting Foreign Minister visited Karnataka and met Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and inaugurated the premises of the new Consulate General of Italy.