‘Melodi’ selfie and dinner: PM Modi shares Colosseum pictures with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni; social media erupts
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Italian PM Giorgia Meloni during his Italy visit, with their viral ‘Melodi’ selfie once again drawing attention online amid talks on bilateral ties and global cooperation.
Modi shares glimpse from Rome meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (May 20) shared photographs from his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome ahead of their official talks. Posting on social media, Modi wrote: “Met PM Meloni in Rome last evening. Looking forward to our talks later today.”
Giorgia Meloni welcomes PM Modi to Rome
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Rome by sharing a selfie on social media. Meloni posted a candid selfie with the Indian Prime Minister on X and wrote: “Welcome to Rome, my friend!” The post quickly gained traction online, with social media users once again reviving the popular “Melodi” nickname for the two leaders
‘India-Italy friendship keep growing’
In his post, PM Modi also highlighted the strong ties between the two nations and expressed optimism about future cooperation between New Delhi and Rome. Modi also revealed that shortly after arriving in Rome, he met Meloni over dinner before the two leaders visited the iconic Colosseum together. He added that both sides would continue discussions on strengthening ties between India and Italy, writing: “Looking forward to our talks today, where we will continue the conversation on how to boost the India-Italy friendship.”
Agenda for Italy visit
According to the Italian Embassy in New Delhi, trade between the two countries crossed 14 billion euros in 2023. As part of efforts to expand bilateral cooperation, PM Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are likely to unveil a joint declaration aimed at boosting long-term engagement. Reuters, citing an official, reported that the plan may include annual summit meetings between the two heads of government and a goal to raise bilateral trade to 20 billion euros by 2029.
The two leaders are also scheduled to attend a working lunch alongside senior representatives from leading Indian and Italian companies, with discussions expected to centre on trade, investment and economic collaboration.
Several agreements are also likely to be signed during the visit. These are expected to cover sectors such as maritime connectivity, higher education, museum partnerships, agriculture, critical minerals and cooperation against economic and financial crimes, according to Reuters.
What is the buzz about 'Melodi'
It all began when during the COP28 summit in Dubai in 2023 when Meloni shared a selfie with Modi captioned “Good friends at COP28 #Melodi.” The term “Melodi” is a viral nickname coined by social media users by combining the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The buzz resurfaced once again as Meloni welcomed Modi to Rome with a selfie.
Meloni’s post drew thousands of reactions, with users reviving the “Melodi” hashtag yet again. Several comments joked that “Melodi is back and “Indians were waiting for this moment.”
Under Modi’s post, many users highlighted the growing India-Italy friendship, while meme-makers flooded X with edits, GIFs and references to previous “Melodi” moments from COP28 and the G7 summit. The selfie quickly went viral across platforms.
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