PM Modi’s Rome visit is expected to strengthen India’s engagement with Europe, with IMEC, trade, investment and strategic cooperation dominating bilateral discussions.
On his first visit to Asia after assuming office last year, the German Chancellor indicated that the India-EU trade pact could be signed as early as this month.
Their commitment in this regard came at the 16th India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) and the 5th round of the India-UAE Strategic Dialogue that was held on 15 December in Abu Dhabi.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a high-level meeting with Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, in Brescia, Italy’s manufacturing hub.
The Group of Seven (G7) nations have pledged support to specific infrastructure projects like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) in their joint statement released after the end of their three-day summit in Italy.
Though not directly referred to in the MOU, one of IMEC‘s implicit objectives is to counter China‘s BRI, which strengthens its connectivity with countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America with an extensive network of land and sea routes.
