New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on becoming the longest serving Prime Minister in the European nation’s postwar history and wished her continued success in the years ahead.
PM Modi, while extending greetings on Meloni’s feat, appreciated her government’s efforts in strengthening the Special Strategic Partnership between the two nations. He expressed readiness to continue close cooperation to build a prosperous future for the people of the two nations.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “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.”
“Her friendship has also been instrumental in strengthening the India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership and I look forward to continuing our close cooperation to build a prosperous future for the people of our countries. My best wishes for her continued success in the years ahead,” he added.
Notably, Giorgia Meloni-led government became the longest-serving government in the postwar history of the Italian Republic, after surpassing the tenure of former PM Silvio Berlusconi.
Meloni assumed office as Italy’s first woman Prime Minister on October 22, 2022, and her government on Friday reached 1,413 days in office.
Earlier in July, Meloni had congratulated PM Modi on becoming India’s longest-serving elected PM and expressed readiness to work with him in creating new opportunities for the people of the two nations.
Extending wishes to PM Modi, Meloni, in a post on X, wrote, “Congratulations to Narendra Modi who today becomes the longest-serving elected Prime Minister in the history of India. It has been a pleasure to meet again in Rome in recent weeks and to launch together a Special Strategic Partnership that looks to the future to create new opportunities for our Nations and our peoples.”
In May, PM Modi made a two-day official visit to Italy, where he held talks with both Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.
During their meeting, PM Modi and Meloni decided to elevate bilateral ties to the level of a Special Strategic Partnership. The two leaders welcomed the “strong momentum” of high-level exchanges and agreed to hold annual meetings of leaders, including on the sidelines of multilateral events, as well as regular ministerial and institutional-level meetings.
PM Modi had also presented a light-hearted and unique gift — a “Melody” toffee packet– to Meloni, bringing back the widely popular “#Melodi” moment that has often gone viral on social media. The informal exchange, marked by laughter between the two leaders, was later shared by the Italian PM on Instagram, where she also spoke about the gesture and the gift received from the Indian Prime Minister.
Sharing the video of the moment, Meloni said, “Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift — a very, very good toffee — Melody”. “Thank you for the gift.”
The “Melodi” phenomenon — a portmanteau combining the names of Prime Ministers Modi and Meloni — became a recurring viral trend online, reflecting the visible personal rapport and friendly exchanges between the two leaders during various international engagements.
(IANS)
