Meloni thanks Modi for ‘Melody’ during Italy visit

Meloni thanks Modi for ‘Melody’ during Italy visit

Meloni thanks Modi for ‘Melody’ during Italy visit-Photo Credit -PTI

Rome : Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for gifting her ‘Melody’ toffees, reviving the light-hearted “Melodi” wordplay associated with the two leaders on social media.

In a social media post, Meloni shared a video in which she could be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee — Melody.”

“Thank you for the gift,” the video caption read.

Modi, who was also seen in the video uploaded on Wednesday, burst into laughter as Meloni jokingly referred to the “Melody” toffee while showcasing the gift.

The hashtag “Melodi”, a blend of Modi and Meloni’s names, was coined by the Italian prime minister during the COP28 in Dubai in 2023 and later went viral on social media following the warm interactions between the two leaders at global events.

“Good friends at COP28,” Meloni had posted on social media with hashtag “Melodi”, captioning a photograph with the Indian leader.

Modi, who arrived in Rome on Tuesday May 19, 2026 , is on the final leg of his five-nation tour to the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15-20.

He is visiting Italy at the invitation of Meloni to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, defence, clean energy and technology.

The two leaders have maintained close engagement in recent years, with Meloni also visiting India for the G20 Summit in 2023.

Sharing the video, Meloni wrote, “Thank you for the gift”.

The ‘Melodi’ Diplomacy

‘Melodi’– a portmanteau of Meloni and PM Modi — has been the butt of many viral clips and memes depicting warm, unscripted moments between the two leaders at multilateral summits, racking up millions of views. In June 2025, Meloni herself captioned a small selfie video with PM Modi from their G7 Summit interactions, saying, “Hello, from the Melodi team.”

Since then, similar interactions at global events have reinforced the perception of a warm personal chemistry between the two leaders.

But the Modi-Meloni bond is not a mere photo opportunity. It is foreign policy in motion. But beneath the smiles and internet trends– Europe, especially Italy, has emerged as India’s most consequential global partner. Both nations are working towards the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) that anchors Rome as Europe’s gateway to the Indo-Pacific. The corridor aims to diversify global trade routes and reduce dependence on Beijing-led infrastructure networks. 

Bilateral trade between the two nations has also crossed $16.77 billion, and the relations are gaining a new and higher dimension that combines the economic dynamism, societal creativity, and millennia-old civilisational wisdom of the two countries.

(With PTI Inputs )