Italian PM Giuseppe Conte to visit India on October 30

Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte will pay an official visit to India on October 30 with an aim to deepen bilateral cooperation in a range of sectors including trade, investment and aerospace.

Making the announcement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said his visit will be part of the ongoing celebrations to commemorate 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Italy.

It will be Conte's first visit to India after taking over as prime minister in June.

The MEA said the Italian prime minister will also attend the 24th edition of the India-Italy Technology Summit which is being organised by Department of Science and Technology (DST) in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

It said Conte will be accompanied by a high-level delegation.

"During the visit, PM Conte will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 30. The two leaders will then address the valedictory session of the Technology Summit," it said.

The Technology Summit will focus on a number of areas including healthcare, aerospace, education, clean technology, renewable energy and information and communication technology.

"The objective of the summit is to facilitate technology transfers, joint ventures, research and development, and market access between industry and research institutions in India and Italy," the MEA said.

Italy is India's fifth largest trading partner in the European Union and the annual trade turnover between the two countries was USD 10.4 billion in 2017-18.

Over 600 Italian companies are operating in India.

"The visit of the Italian Prime Minister will help to underscore these synergies and give an added boost to future collaboration," the ministry said.