Meloni hails 'stronger than ever' India-Italy ties

Meloni hails 'stronger than ever' India-Italy ties.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating her on becoming Italy’s longest continuously serving PM in the postwar period, saying the relationship between the two countries was “stronger than ever”. Sharing a post on X, Meloni said, “Thank you, dear Narendra Modi, for your words and for your friendship. The relationship between Italy and India is today stronger than ever.” “The Special Strategic Partnership that we launched during our last meeting is the recognition of the importance of this bond and of the will to unite the expertise of our Nations to create new opportunities for growth, seizing the extraordinary opportunities for collaboration that we have before us,” she said. “I am certain that Italy and India, together, will continue to strengthen the bond between our Continents as well, working side by side also to develop the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor,” she added. Meloni has served as Italy’s prime minister since October 22, 2022. On Thursday, after 1,413 consecutive days in office, she became the country’s longest continuously serving prime minister since World War II, surpassing the previous record held by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Earlier in the day, PM Modi congratulated Meloni on the milestone, saying it reflected the trust and confidence of the Italian people in her leadership. “Congratulations to my friend Prime Minister Meloni on becoming the longest continuously serving Prime Minister in Italy's postwar history. This milestone is a reflection of the trust and confidence of the Italian people in her leadership,” PM Modi said in a post on X. He said Meloni’s friendship had played an important role in strengthening the India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership and that he looked forward to continuing close cooperation between the two countries. “My best wishes for her continued success in the years ahead,” the PM added. The friendship between PM Modi and Meloni has often attracted attention on social media, with users referring to the duo as “Melodi”, a combination of their surnames. The trend began in November 2023 when Meloni shared a selfie with PM Modi from the COP28 summit in Dubai with the caption “Good friends at COP28 #Melodi.” The hashtag quickly became popular, generating memes and viral posts. The two leaders again drew attention at the G7 summit in June, when Meloni joked about their online popularity. During the traditional group photograph, she told PM Modi, “Yeah, we are the most famous couple on Instagram.”

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The “Melodi” buzz also resurfaced during PM Modi’s visit to Rome last month, when he presented Meloni with a packet of Parle’s Melody chocolates in a playful reference to the trend. PM Modi himself became India’s longest continuously serving elected prime minister on June 10, 2026, after completing 4,399 consecutive days in office.

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