India, Italy discuss bilateral trade & investment agreements in Rome

New Delhi, Feb 15 The 8th session of the India-Italy Foreign Office Consultations was held in Rome wherein both the nations deliberated on the bilateral relations and agreed on the need to commence negotiations on the India-EU Free Trade and Investment Agreements at the earliest, the Ministry of External Affairs informed.

Discussions also covered regional and global issues of mutual interest, including multilateral cooperation at various international fora. They reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing consultation and cooperation bilaterally and in regional and multilateral context.

During the meet on Monday, both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including cooperation in the political, trade & economic, defence, science & technology, energy, health, consular and cultural spheres and 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, the ministry said.

India welcomed Italy's interest in the implementation of the EU's Indo-Pacific guidelines and the India-EU connectivity partnership. India-Italy 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 2021 which offers fresh opportunities for deepening multi-faceted ties.

The Indian delegation was led by Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and the Italian delegation was led by Luca Sabbatucci, Director General for Global Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The last FOC was held in 2019 in New Delhi. Both sides agreed to hold the next consultations at a mutually convenient date in New Delhi.