Rome: On the last leg of his five-nation tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (local time) reached Italy. Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, welcomed him to Rome with a heartwarming photo that was clicked at the historic Colosseum.
Meloni posted the photo on social media, addressing Modi as “my friend”.
“Welcome to Rome, my friend,” Meloni wrote on X.
Welcome to Rome, my friend! 🇮🇹🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/mUjFL4HIqY
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) May 19, 2026
Earlier, Modi had visited Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the tour.
The visit comes amid strong momentum in India-Italy relations. Both sides are advancing the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029. It is a broad framework for cooperation across multiple areas, including trade that has reached $16.77 billion in 2025, defence and security, clean energy, innovation, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, had posted on X: “Scripting a new chapter in the India-Italy Strategic Partnership. Prime Minister @narendramodi arrives in Rome on an official visit to Italy. He was warmly received at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani of Italy. India and Italy share a longstanding and multifaceted partnership. The visit is set to add new momentum to the India-Italy partnership.”
Modi also received a warm reception from members of the Indian diaspora after arriving in Rome as the community members gathered to welcome him outside his hotel. They presented cultural performances.