"A STRONG INDIA-EU FTA CAN BE A GAME-CHANGER"

As India and Italy celebrate over 75 years of diplomatic relations, bilateral ties have reached an unprecedented level of strategic depth, with defence emerging as a central pillar. In an interview with BW Businessworld's Sangeet Kumar Sanu, Italian Ambassador to India ANTONIO ENRICO BARTOLI outlined the rapid advancement in cooperation across defence, space, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people engagement.

- By Sangeet Kumar Sanu

How do you assess the current state of bilateral relations between India and Italy?

We are in an unprecedented phase in our ties. After the elevation to a strategic partnership, our prime ministers signed a joint action plan to operationalise it. We are working on trade, investment, defence, space, connectivity and technology.

Italy is among the first partners in the India, Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), building on ancient trade links. We are also enhancing digital connectivity, and an Italian firm is laying a high-speed data cable between Genoa and Mumbai under the Blue Raman Project.