India's relationship with both the nations has become stronger in recent years
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will pay an official visit to Portugal and Italy from October 31 to November 3, 2023.

While in Portugal from October 31 to November 1, EAM Jaishankar will hold discussions with his counterpart Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho on the entire range of bilateral relations, according to information released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday (October 29, 2023). The two ministers will also discuss regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest. 

Additionally, EAM Jaishankar is expected to meet the Portuguese leadership, members of the Portugal-India Parliamentary Friendship Group, and the Indo-Portuguese and Indian community in Portugal.

"India and Portugal have growing and mutually beneficial relations in all spheres which have strengthened over time," the MEA said.

EAM Jaishankar will then travel to Italy on a bilateral visit on November 2-3, 2023. 

During his visit, EAM Jaishankar will meet his counterpart Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Minister of Defence and Minister for ‘Made in Italy’. He is also expected to meet the top leadership of the country. 

Additionally, he will be addressing the Joint Session of the Senate’s External Affairs and Defence Commission, and EU Affairs Commission and India-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group, and meet the members of Indian community.

India and Italy enjoy friendly and cordial relations and multifaceted bilateral cooperation. The relationship was elevated to a ‘Strategic Partnership’ during the state visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in March this year. 

Significantly, Jaishankar's visit to Italy comes less than a month after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the European nation and held extensive talks with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in Rome on October 9, 2023. 

During Defence Minister Singh's visit, the two sides signed an "Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Defence". This comprehensive pact covers a spectrum of collaborative areas including, Security and Defence Policy; Research & Development (R&D); Military Education; Maritime Domain Awareness; Defence Information Sharing and Industrial Cooperation.