New Delhi, (IANS) Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Massimo d’Alema will be in India this week to boost bilateral relations.
After arriving in Delhi Tuesday night for a four-day visit, d’Alema, who is also foreign minister, will Wednesday meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee at the Hyderabad House, where they will discuss bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.
Later in the evening, he will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence.
After a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal Thursday, d’Alema will Friday travel to Mumbai, India’s financial capital. Besides calling on the top leadership of Maharashtra state, he will interact with Indian and Italian business leaders at a luncheon meet.
According to an external affairs ministry press release, relations between India and Italy are “warm and friendly” with the trade volume increasing by over 32 percent in 2006. Italy is India’s fourth trading partner in the European Union.
The last high-level visit from Italy was by Prime Minister Romano Prodi in February this year.