Rome [Italy], May 21 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to Italy, during which he held a series of engagements and elevated the ties between the two countries to a Special Strategic Partnership.

In a post on X, PM Modi shared a glimpse of his visit to Italy, most notably the 'Melody moment' when he gifted a set of 'Melody' toffees to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a sweet gesture.

The visit further strengthened the relationship between the two countries, as PM Modi said, 'My discussions with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni covered a wide range of sectors. A key outcome of the visit was our decision to elevate India-Italy ties to a Special Strategic Partnership, which will add new momentum to our cooperation in the years to come.'

'I thank Prime Minister Meloni, the Government of Italy and the wonderful people of Italy for their friendship,' he added.

With this, PM Modi has completed the last leg of his five-nation tour and will now head back to India.

During the visit, PM Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a one-on-one meeting focusing on bilateral relations as well as key regional and global developments. Both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across a wide array of sectors.

Addressing a press conference, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Sibi George, said, 'The Prime Minister held delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Meloni. The two leaders welcomed the strong momentum in bilateral relations and agreed to deepen cooperation across a wide array of sectors, including trade and investment, defence and security, science and technology, research and innovation, space, energy, AI and critical technologies, education, culture, and people-to-people ties. The two leaders also discussed the pressing global challenges, including the situation in West Asia and the Russia-Ukraine conflict,' he said.

Several MoUs were signed during the visit in areas of defence, critical technologies, science and technology, research, connectivity, agriculture, traditional medicine, education, culture, and mobility.

George said that as trade and investment remained an important focus between the leaders, the FTA between India and the EU gave a significant boost.

'I will now summarise the key outcomes of the visit. Trade and investment were an important focus. The bilateral trade and economic ties have received a further boost by the conclusion of the India-EU FTA negotiations earlier this year. Both sides have now set a target of increasing bilateral trade to Euro 20 billion by 2029 and encourage the private sectors to forge partnerships and invest in building resilient supply chains,' he said.

PM Modi visited the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway before concluding his five-nation visit in Italy. (ANI)