04 September,2026 02:11 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni with PM Narendra Modi during his Italy visit earlier this year. FILE PIC
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni on becoming the longest continuously serving PM in Italy's postwar history and wished her continued success in the years ahead.
Congratulating Meloni on the milestone, PM Modi appreciated her government's efforts to strengthen the Special Strategic Partnership between India and Italy and expressed readiness to continue close cooperation to build a prosperous future for the people of both countries.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Congratulations to my friend Prime Minister Meloni on becoming the longest continuously serving Prime Minister in Italy's postwar history. This milestone is a reflection of the trust and confidence of the Italian people in her leadership."
"Her friendship has also been instrumental in strengthening the India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership and I look forward to continuing our close cooperation to build a prosperous future for the people of our countries. My best wishes for her continued success in the years ahead," he added.
The Giorgia Meloni-led government became the longest-serving government in the postwar history of the Italian Republic on Friday, surpassing the tenure of former PM Silvio Berlusconi, news agency IANS reported.
Meloni assumed office as Italy's first woman PM on October 22, 2022, and her government completed 1,413 days in office on Friday.
Earlier in July, Meloni had congratulated PM Modi on becoming India's longest-serving elected Prime Minister and expressed her readiness to work with him to create new opportunities for the people of the two countries.
Extending her wishes to PM Modi in a post on X, Meloni wrote, "Congratulations to Narendra Modi who today becomes the longest-serving elected Prime Minister in the history of India. It has been a pleasure to meet again in Rome in recent weeks and to launch together a Special Strategic Partnership that looks to the future to create new opportunities for our Nations and our peoples."
In May, PM Modi made a two-day official visit to Italy, where he held talks with Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.
During their meeting, PM Modi and Meloni decided to elevate bilateral ties to the level of a Special Strategic Partnership. The two leaders welcomed the "strong momentum" in high-level exchanges and agreed to hold annual meetings of leaders, including on the sidelines of multilateral events, as well as regular ministerial and institutional-level meetings.
PM Modi also presented Meloni with a light-hearted and unique gift, a "Melody" toffee packet, bringing back the widely popular "#Melodi" moment that has often gone viral on social media.
The informal exchange, marked by laughter between the two leaders, was later shared by Meloni on Instagram, where she spoke about the gesture and the gift received from the Indian PM.
Sharing the video of the moment, Meloni said, "Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift -- a very, very good toffee -- Melody".
"Thank you for the gift."
The "Melodi" phenomenon, a portmanteau combining the names of Prime Ministers Modi and Meloni, became a recurring viral trend online, reflecting the visible personal rapport and friendly exchanges between the two leaders during various international engagements.
(With IANS inputs)
