ROME: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday inaugurated the new Chancery of the Indian Embassy in Rome, Italy, and hailed the historical India-Italy ties saying the two maritime countries give a different perspective to the world.
The Foreign Minister further emphasised that a lot of India’s historical connect with Europe was with Italy.
“Our historical connect is actually very deep and I would not be exaggerating if I said that a lot of India’s historical interface with Europe was actually with Italy. This was almost the landing point for anything coming to India or going out of India. So for us, Italians have been producers, they have been customers, they have been financiers, they have been carriers in our commerce. Our countries are also maritime nations. I think that gives a very different perspective to the world,” he said.
Jaishankar said that the Chancery of Indian Embassy in Rome will help serve better the Indian community in Italy.
Taking to social media platform X, the EAM said that the new chancery befits the continued expansion of India-Italy partnership in recent years and will help in better serving the Indian community in Italy.
“Pleased to inaugurate the new Chancery of the Embassy of India in Rome today. It befits the continued expansion of India – Italy partnership in recent years. Will also help us serve better the Indian community in Italy,” he stated.
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Jaishankar added that India and Italy’s shared commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation and shipping also helps in bringing the two countries closer.
“I recall Prime Minister Meloni when she came to the Raisina Dialogue describing the Mediterranean Sea as a water body connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Indian Ocean. Certainly, our maritime interest and our shared commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation and shipping also help us bring the two countries closer. We are coordinating amongst others in the Gulf of Aden and in response to some challenges that shipping has faced there. But most important, we are today making history work for the modern relationship,” he said.
Speaking on the India-Middle East-Economic Corridor (IMEC), which was agreed to in principle during India’s presidency of the G20 in 2023, Jaishankar said that it will be a “game changer.”
“India and Italy are founding members of the India-Middle East-Europe connectivity corridor (IMEC), along with like-minded friends. And as I contemplate the future, certainly one day we will look back on this period and say that this connectivity corridor, which was agreed to in principle during India’s presidency of the G20, will be a game-changer,” he said.
He further said that the frequent interactions between the leaders of two countries shows the depth of their relations.
“In many ways I think the frequent interactions today we see at various levels is actually a sign of the depth and the breadth of our relationship. It is also a reflection of the commitment and vision of our leaders today in taking forward our lives. There is a convergence in our worldviews, a synergy in our endeavours in addressing global and regional issues and definitely a new enthusiasm for developing our bilateral ties,” the Foreign Minister said.
Jaishankar also appreciated Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni-led government for giving attention to Asia, and specifically to India.
“India’s growing engagement with Europe and particularly to Italy, which we see both as a very influential European and Mediterranean country, certainly reinforce each other and we’ve been very pleased to see that Prime Minister Meloni’s government has given more attention to Asia and specifically to India as part of its wider Indo-Mediterranean approach. We regard in Italy as a key partner, a very crucial one in Europe, a very influential one in the Mediterranean, and I will in fact tomorrow be participating in the Mediterranean Dialogue which takes place annually in the city,” he said.
EAM Jaishankar is on an official visit to Italy from November 24 to 26.
He was welcomed in Rome by India’s Ambassador to Italy, Vani Rao, and other officials from the Foreign Ministry.
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The Foreign Minister will travel to Fiuggi, Italy to participate in the Outreach session of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where India has been invited as a guest country.
During the visit, he will also participate in the 10th edition of the MED Mediterranean Dialogue in Rome, being organised by Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) in collaboration with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy. (ANI)