India and Italy share a similar vision on global affairs based on peace and the two countries can be leading players in international soft power, Italy’s Ambassador to India Vincenzo de Luca said here on Friday.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message that ‘Now is a time for peace’ against the backdrop of a difficult geopolitical situation was the cornerstone of the successful G20 summit,” the Ambassador said while interacting with the media during the two-day annual conference of the Soft Power Club at Technopark here.
He pointed out that Italy and India were enjoying a period of the best relationship as illustrated by two summits between Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last year.
The strategic partnership enables the two countries to work together not just in hard power areas like defence and cyber security, but also in soft power areas like heritage, contemporary art, innovation and technology, he said.
Italy and India are among the top countries when it comes to tangible heritage listings on the UNESCO list. “Soft power does not mean promoting only one culture. It means creating a bridge between culture, vision, ideas and principles of different societies,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Francesco Rutelli, former Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and founder of the Soft Power Club, underlined the increasing role of India in global affairs.
“India’s soft power would be decisive as in the near future, no multilateral agreement can be concluded without India’s contribution,” he said. “Kerala is the best place to illustrate soft power of India, for both historical and contemporary reasons”.
Chairing the media session, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant chaired the session.
Sanjeev Sanyal, member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, said Kerala artisans were playing a lead role in an international heritage project to showcase India’s soft power globally. A stitch ship – a wooden maritime vessel made without iron nails – is currently being built in Goa and the construction of the 20-m-long vessel is led by artisans from Beypore. It is being made with the help of the Indian Navy and Ministry of Culture to document the ancient technology that is dying out.
The ship is expected to sail by the end of 2025 to Oman on its maiden journey and later to Bali. The inspiration for the boat came from a 15th-century painting in the Ajanta Caves, said Mr. Sanyal.
