Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the ‘Eternal City’, Rome, on Wednesday, May 20, as both leaders are set to engage in bilateral talks in the European country. Commemorating the special moment upon PM Modi’s arrival overseas, his Italian counterpart shared a candid selfie on X, writing, “Welcome to Rome, my friend!”

Modi-Meloni selfie goes viral as Italian PM welcomes Indian PM to Rome

Within hours of the post’s emergence on X, the heartwarming “Melodi” (the portmanteau for Meloni and Modi’s names) photo amassed millions of views on the internet. Many social media users hailed their reunion, adding comments like, “The internet’s favourite diplomatic duo is back to breaking the timeline. The India-Italy bond is stronger than ever!”

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This is not the first time camera clicks featuring both prime ministers have become the centre of buzzworthy attention on social media. Back in 2024, the beloved duo’s camaraderie won over global SNS users as Giorgia Meloni shared a selfie video captioned “Hello from the Melodi team” during PM Modi’s visit to Apulia, southern Italy, for a G7 summit.

PM Modi posts on X ahead of bilateral talks in Italy

Narendra Modi, on his part, also took to his official handle on X, declaring his arrival in Rome, Italy, shortly before the viral selfie took the internet by storm. He confirmed that he would meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his visit and hold talks with them.

After touching down in Italy, Modi marked the occasion on social media, writing, “This visit will focus on how to boost India-Italy cooperation, especially focusing on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).”

Moreover, he added that the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 would be reviewed, while he also visits the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), reinforcing India’s commitment to multilateralism and global food security.

PM Modi’s arrival in Rome has paved the way for the final leg of his five-nation tour, including the UAE, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. It also marks his first standalone bilateral visit to Italy, following his presence at a G7 summit in June 2024 and a G20 gathering years before that.

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According to the website of the Italian Embassy in New Delhi, bilateral trade between the two countries totalled over 14 billion euros in 2023. To strengthen that strategic bond, Modi and Meloni are expected to adopt a joint declaration, including annual heads-of-government ‌summits and a target of reaching 20 billion euros ($23.2 billion) in bilateral trade by 2029, Reuters reported, citing an official.

During Modi’s Italy visit, the two leaders will have a working lunch with senior executives from top Italian and Indian industrial groups, with economic, trade and investment cooperation as the prime agenda once again.

Agreements tied to maritime transport, higher education, museum cooperation, agriculture, critical minerals and the fight against economic and financial crime will also be signed during Modi’s Italy trip, the Reuters report added.