The 8th session of the India-Italy Foreign Office Consultations FOC was held yesterday in Rome, Italy. The Indian delegation was led by Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs Reenat Sandhu and the Italian delegation was led by Director-General for Global Affairs in Ministry of Foreign Affairs Luca Sabbatucci. The last FOC was held in 2019 in New Delhi.
Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including cooperation in the political, trade and economic, defence, science and technology, energy, health, consular and cultural spheres. They expressed satisfaction at the renewed momentum in bilateral relations thanks to regular high-level exchanges and shared commitment of both sides to further intensify cooperation in a wide range of areas.
They took stock of the progress in implementation of the Plan of Action agreed during the virtual summit in November 2020 and welcomed the Strategic Partnership on Energy Transition launched by the two Prime Ministers in October last year which offers fresh opportunities for deepening our multi-faceted ties. These initiatives have added new content and vigor to India-Italy relations.
The two sides also discussed India-European Union EU relations and agreed on the need to commence negotiations on the India-EU Free Trade and Investment Agreements at the earliest. India welcomed Italy’s interest in the implementation of the EU’s Indo-Pacific guidelines and the India-EU connectivity partnership.
Discussions also covered regional and global issues of mutual interest, including multilateral cooperation at various international fora. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing consultation and cooperation bilaterally and in regional and multilateral context.
Ministry of External Affairs said, the talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Both sides agreed to hold the next consultations at a mutually convenient date in New Delhi.
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