Melody chocolate for Meloni? PM Modi’s ‘sweet diplomacy’ steals the spotlight

PM Meloni shares a video of the moment on social media

PT News New Delhi, May 20

Images of the bonhomie between Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni went viral on Wednesday as the two shared a lighthearted moment with a packet of Melody toffees. Modi, who is in Italy for the final leg of his five nation visit, presented Meloni the Melody toffee to reiterate the ties between them that have often been termed “Melodi”. Meloni reciprocated Modi’s gesture by saying “This is a very very nice toffee.” PM Modi arrived in Rome on Tuesday and was hosted for dinner by Meloni as the two nations work on advancing the Joint Action Plan 2025-2029, covering vast segments including defence, trade and energy. The bilateral trade between India and Italy has reached 16 billion USD.

India’s toffee exports hit a high note as ‘Melodi’ moment spotlights global demand

As the Modi-Meloni ‘Melodi’ moment went viral, Indian toffee makers turned domestic attention to the country’s surging caramel and confectionery market, which offers far more than just Melody toffee. Melody may have had its moment in the sun after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a packet to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but India’s export data for toffees, caramels and similar sweets show many products are already topping global charts. The Commerce Ministry data show that demand for Indian toffees grew 166 per cent, from Rs 49.68 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 132 crore in 2025-26.

After the dinner, the two leaders visited the Colosseum with Meloni sharing pictures of the interaction. Modi also shared a post saying “Upon landing in Rome, had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Meloni over dinner followed by a visit to the iconic Colosseum. We exchanged perspectives on a wide range of subjects. Looking forward to our talks today, where we will continue the conversation on how to boost the India-Italy friendship.” The two leaders will have a bilateral engagement today. The Meloni-Modi friendship has often drawn public attention, starting at the 2023 COP28 meeting in Dubai when the Italian PM posted a selfie with PM Modi and captioned it “Good friends at COP28. #Melodi.” Meloni was the first to use the term Melodi. Later, the interactions between the two went viral during the G20 Summit in India in 2023 and the G7 Summit in Canada in 2025.