New Delhi, Sep 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday thanked Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni for her warm wishes on his 75th birthday, expressing hope to further strengthen growing India-Italy ties.

"Thank you Prime Minister Meloni for your warm wishes. Deeply appreciate Italy's friendship and look forward to strengthening it further," PM Modi posted on X.

PM Modi's response came after Meloni extended warm greetings to him on his birthday. She wished him health and energy to continue leading India towards a bright future while hoping to further strengthen ties between the two nations.

Sharing a photo with PM Modi on X, Meloni stated, "Happy 75th birthday to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His strength, his determination, and his ability to lead millions of people are a source of inspiration. With friendship and esteem, I wish him health and energy to continue leading India toward a bright future and to further strengthen the relations between our nations."

On September 10, PM Modi held a telephonic conversation with Meloni with both leaders reaffirming their joint commitment to deepen the India-Italy Strategic Partnership. Meloni and expressing support for the success of the AI Impact Summit set to be hosted by India in 2026.

The Prime Minister thanked his Italian counterpart for her support in concluding the trade agreement between India and European Union (EU) and promoting connectivity through the India'Middle East'Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEEC) initiative.

The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. They agreed on the need for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. PM Modi reiterated India's full support for efforts in this direction.

"Had an excellent conversation with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. We reaffirmed our joint commitment to deepen India-Italy Strategic Partnership, and shared interest in bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine. Thanked PM Meloni for Italy's proactive support for concluding a mutually beneficial India-EU trade agreement and promoting connectivity through the IMEEEC initiative," PM Modi posted on X after the phone call.

The Indian Prime Minister's Office (PMO) stated that both leaders reviewed and positively assessed the developments in bilateral Strategic Partnership across sectors such as investment, defence, security, space, science and technology, education, people-to-people ties and counter-terrorism.

They also reaffirmed their commitment towards further deepening of the partnership, in line with the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29.

PM Modi had last met Meloni on the sidelines of the 51st G7 Summit in Canada's Kananaskis in June, where both leaders had committed to making the friendship between India and Italy stronger.o w

Meloni had shared a picture of herself and PM Modi on X along with the caption, "Italy and India, bound by a great friendship."

A video showed PM Modi greeting Meloni with a handshake and engaging in a brief conversation with her during the summit.

In a post on X, PM Modi stated, "Fully agree with you, PM Giorgia Meloni. India's friendship with Italy will continue to get stronger, greatly benefiting our people!"

The camaraderie between PM Modi and Italian PM Meloni has also been making waves on social media, with their interactions sparking a hashtag Melodi.

/IANS