(MENAFN- Live Mint) Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, in Johannesburg on Sunday, with the two leaders discussing avenues to bolster bilateral relations across several areas, including commerce, investment, technology, AI, space, defence, and security.

During the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the G20 summit, the leaders formally adopted the India-Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism. This initiative reaffirms their shared resolve to tackle terrorism globally.

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"Had a very good meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The India-Italy Strategic Partnership is growing from strength to strength, greatly benefitting the people of our nations," Modi said in a post on social media platform X after the meeting.

"Their talks centred around deepening ties in trade, investment, technology, AI, defence and security, space, research, innovation and culture," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress being made on the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29, a strategy anticipated to benefit both economies and their respective populations, according to the MEA spokesperson.

Jaiswal further noted that Meloni expressed strong support for the AI Summit which India is due to host in 2026.

Trade between India and Italy is estimated to be around $15 billion for the 2023-2024 period, while Foreign Direct Investment from Italy into India totals approximately $4 billion since the year 2000.

Modi holds talks with Japanese counterpart

PM Modi on Sunday met with his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit and discussed bilateral cooperation in areas like innovation, defence and talent mobility.

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“Had a productive meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan. We discussed ways to add momentum to bilateral cooperation in areas such as innovation, defence, talent mobility and more,” PM Modi posted on X.

The two leaders also discussed ways to enhance trade ties.

“We are also looking to enhance trade ties between our nations. A strong India-Japan partnership is vital for a better planet,” Modi added.

According to a statement released by the MEA, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, which is based on "civilizational connect, shared values, mutual goodwill and commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific".

The leaders also underscored their commitment to deepening the India-Japan partnership for regional and global peace, prosperity and stability, it said.

They also discussed collaborative opportunities between India and Japan in strategic sectors and exchanged views on regional and global issues, the statement added.

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