Narendra Modi with Giorgia Meloni at the Brazil G20 Summit
Credit: PTI Photo
During the recent G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with a handcrafted silver candle stand from Pune, Maharashtra.
In a bilateral meeting on the summit's sidelines, both leaders discussed enhancing cooperation in defence, security, trade, and technology. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that the India-Italy friendship could significantly contribute to global betterment.
In Brazil, Modi held bilateral meetings with the leaders of the country, besides those of Indonesia, Portugal, Italy, Norway, France, the UK, Chile, Argentina and Australia. These were marked by his maiden bilateral meetings with Indonesian leader Prabowo Subianto, Portugal's Luis Montenegro, the UK's Keir Starmer, Chile's Gabriel Boric, and Argentina's Javier Milei, Indian officials noted.
Modi also had informal interactions and pull-aside meetings in Brazil with the leaders of Singapore, South Korea, Egypt, the USA and Spain and with the heads and executives of various international organisations like Ursula von der Leyen of the European Union; Antonio Guterres of the United Nations; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Trade Organization; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization; and Kristalina Georgieva and Gita Gopinath of the IMF.
The gesture of gifting traditional artifacts has been a hallmark of Prime Minister Modi's diplomatic engagements, reflecting India's diverse culture. In previous G20 summits, he has presented world leaders with items such as Kangra miniature paintings, showcasing India's artistic traditions.
In a related diplomatic exchange, Argentine President Javier Milei presented Prime Minister Meloni with a figurine of himself wielding a chainsaw.
(With PTI inputs)
Disclaimer: This article has been written by generative AI and has been reviewed and edited by the DH Web Desk.