India, Italy announce joint initiative to choke terror financing

India and Italy on Sunday announced a joint initiative for cooperation in combating financing of terrorism, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Johannesburg and discussed ways to bolster bilateral ties in several areas, including trade, defence and security. During the meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, the two leaders adopted the India-Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism, which reiterates their common resolve to fight terrorism. "Had a very good meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The India-Italy Strategic Partnership is growing from strength to strength, greatly benefitting the people of our nations," Modi said in a post on social media after the meeting.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Meloni conveyed her solidarity with India over the recent terror attack in Delhi and reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to combating terrorism. Both leaders adopted the India–Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism, aimed at strengthening cooperation against terror networks and enhancing coordination in multilateral platforms such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF).
Prime Minister Modi and Meloni appreciated the recent visit of an Italian space delegation to India, which is expected to strengthen collaboration in the space sector at both government and private levels. The Italian PM reiterated her country’s strong support for concluding a mutually beneficial India–EU Free Trade Agreement and welcomed India’s plans to host the AI Impact Summit in 2026.