India ready to contribute to any peace process in Ukraine, says Premier Modi

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that India is ready to contribute to any peace process in Ukraine.

Addressing a joint press conference along with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni after a meeting in the capital New Delhi, Modi once again reiterated that “from the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, India has clarified that this dispute can only be resolved through dialogues and diplomacy.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is in New Delhi on a two-day visit as the chief guest and the keynote speaker at the 8th Raisina Dialogue 2023.

This year marks the diamond jubilee, or 75 years, of the bilateral relations between India and Italy.

Formed in 2016 with a focus on geopolitics and geo-economics, the Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference held annually in India.

Modi also said: “On this occasion, we have decided to give strategic partnership status to the Indo-Italy partnership. India will further strengthen its relationship with Italy in renewable energy, hydrogen, IT, telecom, semiconductors, and space.

“In the defense manufacturing sector in India, opportunities for co-production and co-development are arising which can be beneficial for both the countries.”

Meloni in her address said: “India as G-20 president can play a central role in facilitating negotiations on Ukraine.”

She further said that they have decided to further boost the bilateral relations, which is why they will be converting their partnership into a strategic one.