Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew a powerful cultural and spiritual connection between Rome and Varanasi during his official address in Italy. He warmly called both locations “eternal cities.”
Speaking at a joint press conference alongside his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, PM Modi noted that when two ancient civilizations come together, the resulting decisions easily surpass any narrow or particular political agenda.
The Civilizational Deep Connection Between Rome and Kashi
PM Modi expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Meloni for the grand welcome given to him and his delegation. He reminded the audience that Rome is known globally as the ‘Eternal City.’ He then beautifully tied this to his own Lok Sabha constituency in India. Kashi (Varanasi), he explained, is similarly considered an ancient and eternal city by millions.
The Two Eternal Cities
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
• Rome: Known globally for its deep classical history and empire.
• Kashi (Varanasi): PM Modi's constituency, an ancient spiritual hub.
• The Synergy: A dialogue focused on long-term vision, not just agenda.
According to the Prime Minister, a meeting between two such foundational civilizations reflects the true depth of history, a shared vision of the future, and the genuine ease of friendship all together.
Over the last three and a half years, PM Modi has had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Meloni several times. He remarked that this frequent contact reflects the close cooperation and coordination established between India and Italy. Under Meloni’s leadership, bilateral relations have successfully gained a brand new momentum, a clear direction, and renewed confidence.
Elevating Ties to a Special Strategic Partnership
This high-profile meeting took place during the last leg of PM Modi’s comprehensive 5-nation tour. Following the successful high-level talks, India and Italy officially agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a special strategic partnership.
Key Areas of Indo-Italian Strategic Cooperation
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. Economic Growth: Expanding direct trade agreements.
2. Investment Flow: Boosting manufacturing capital.
3. Tech Innovation: Collaborative research in emerging tech.
Both nations are focused on unlocking the true bilateral potential in trade and investment, creating an excellent opportunity for expanded manufacturing collaboration moving forward.
The Linguistic Magic of ‘Sambandh’ Connects to the Nordics
The memorable address in Italy came just a day after PM Modi drew global attention to the Hindi word “sambandh” (meaning connection or relationship). He highlighted that the word carries almost the exact same meaning and pronunciation across several Nordic languages.
This fascinating linguistic connection quickly caught the attention of Iceland’s Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir. She reacted to the speech with enthusiasm, calling it a “purely Icelandic word.”
“We’ve seen through the free trade agreements that Prime Minister Modi addressed an increase in investment coming from Iceland into India. So there are so many things that we can do together, and I just have to address, I love that word ‘Sambandh’. This is such a purely Icelandic word, and people will be very devoted to this language, Prime Minister Modi, because this is what people need. They need more ‘sambandh’ today.” — Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland
Broader European Cooperation and the Arctic
Beyond linguistic ties, the recent implementation of the India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) has opened massive doors.
Leaders from the Nordic countries and India have concurred that TEPA provides a perfect framework to enhance people-to-people contacts and boost mobility. Moving forward, India is actively reviewing bilateral cooperation with its European allies in several futuristic sectors:
- Clean Energy: Expanding green hydrogen initiatives.
- Geothermal Energy: Utilizing Iceland’s distinct specialized infrastructure.
- Sustainability: Cooperating on global carbon capture and storage technology.
- Arctic Research: Enhancing scientific exploration and ecological tracking in the Arctic region.