A selfie featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, taken at the G7 summit in Italy’s Apulia, has captured global attention. The photo, snapped by Meloni on Friday, shows both leaders beaming, and it quickly gained traction on social media platforms such as Instagram and X.
Prime Minister Modi was in southern Italy for a day at Meloni’s invitation for the G7 Outreach summit, marking his first foreign trip since commencing his third consecutive term. During the summit, the leaders engaged in bilateral talks, with Meloni congratulating Modi on his electoral victory. Modi expressed his gratitude for the invitation and praised the summit’s successful conclusion.
This recent selfie is the second notable snapshot of the duo, following a similar moment at last year’s COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Meloni had captioned that photo “Good friends at COP28. #Melodi,” and it was also widely shared online. The frequent sharing of such moments underscores the robust diplomatic ties between India and Italy amid global engagements at the G7.
During their bilateral meeting, Meloni once again congratulated PM Modi for his re-election. In response, Modi thanked PM Meloni for the G7 Outreach Summit invitation and appreciated the summit’s success. The leaders expressed satisfaction with the regular high-level political dialogue and reviewed the progress of the India-Italy Strategic Partnership.
Discussions covered a range of topics including bilateral defense and security cooperation, with both sides eager to enhance defense-industrial collaboration. They also welcomed the planned visit of the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and the training ship ITS Vespucci to India later this year.
Prime Minister Modi extended his thanks to the Italian government for recognizing the Indian Army’s contributions to the Italian Campaign during World War II. He also informed that India will be upgrading the Yashwant Ghadge Memorial at Montone in Italy, further solidifying the historical ties between the two nations.
