5 Facts About Italy's Georgia Meloni Ahead Of Bilateral Talks With PM Modi

Italy is hosting the annual summit of leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies on June 13-15 and its Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has grabbed the Indian imagination after she greeted world leaders with the traditional 'Namaste'. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Apulia, southern Italy, to attend the Outreach session of the G7 Summit and hold bilateral talks on a wide range of issues with world leaders on Friday. PM Modi will be participating in a summit session entitled Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa-Mediterranean to be hosted by Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and joined by Pope Francis.

Here are 5 facts about Georgia Meloni

• Giorgia Meloni became Italy's first female Prime Minister in October 2022. She leads the far-right party Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia), which experienced a rapid rise in popularity in the years leading up to her election. 
• Meloni's political journey began at a very young age. She joined the Youth Front, the youth wing of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a far-right party, at the age of 15. Over the years, she climbed the ranks, serving as the Minister of Youth in Silvio Berlusconi's government from 2008 to 2011. 
• As Prime Minister, Meloni has brought about a range of conservative policies in Italy, especially immigration control. Her government has taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, implementing stricter border controls and repatriation policies. Additionally, Meloni supports policies aimed at boosting Italy's birth rate and has promoted measures to support families financially.
• Meloni's economic policies are centered around reducing taxes, deregulating the economy, and promoting Italian businesses. She has been vocal about her opposition to austerity measures and has criticised the European Union's economic policies, advocating for greater flexibility in budgetary rules. 
• Under Meloni's leadership, Italy fostered closer ties with other right-wing governments in Europe, particularly Hungary and Poland, while maintaining a critical stance towards the European Union's bureaucratic processes. Meloni is also focused on strengthening Italy's role within NATO, advocating for a robust defence policy amidst rising global tensions.