Modi gifts Melody toffees to Italian PM Meloni, video goes viral

The two leaders also shares selfies and informal moments ahead of their official talks on trade and economic cooperation at Rome’s historic Colosseum

ROME: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 21^st, 2026) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted “Melody” toffees to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a light-hearted meeting at Rome’s historic Colosseum.

The two leaders also shared selfies and informal moments ahead of their official talks on trade and economic cooperation.

The gesture added a playful touch to the diplomatic engagement, as both leaders were seen laughing over the candy’s name, which closely resembles Meloni’s surname, in a video shared on social media platform X.

Modi’s visit comes as part of his European tour and marks the first bilateral trip by an Indian prime minister to Italy in 26 years. He had earlier visited Italy for the G20 summit in 2021 and the G7 summit in 2024.

In a joint article published in Corriere della Sera, both leaders expressed their commitment to expanding economic cooperation and setting an ambitious target of exceeding 20 billion Euros (around $23 billion) in bilateral trade by 2029.

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They identified key areas of future collaboration, including defence, aerospace, automotive components, clean energy technologies, and textiles, while emphasizing synergy between Italy’s manufacturing and design strengths and India’s fast-growing innovation and industrial base.

According to official figures, trade between the two countries stood at 14.25 billion euros last year.

Later in the day, the two leaders were scheduled to hold formal bilateral talks at Villa Pamphili, a 17th-century villa west of central Rome.

Modi is also expected to visit the Rome headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization, where he will underline India’s support for global food security and multilateral cooperation.