Ambassador Antonio Bartoli said he welcomed India’s wider diplomatic role but argued it carries added responsibilities, while questioning globalization’s failure to deliver expected gains in peace and democracy, NDTV reported.
Bartoli spoke at the NDTV World Summit in New Delhi on Thursday, Oct. 22. The official agenda lists him on a panel called “The West, Rewired: The New Transatlantic Order,” during the event’s Oct. 22-23 schedule. The summit’s broader theme was “A World Between Orders,” and its program placed India’s expanding international role among the topics under discussion.
NDTV quoted Bartoli describing India as “no longer just a spectator.” He said the West viewed India’s larger place in diplomacy and peacemaking positively, while arguing that a bigger role in international affairs brings further obligations. NDTV named no specific India-led mediation effort or peace proposal, so Bartoli’s remarks addressed the country’s diplomatic profile broadly rather than a particular initiative.
Bartoli also challenged the expectation that globalization would bring better political outcomes. NDTV reported that he said it had not produced the anticipated progress in peace and democracy. “The result is not there,” he said, according to the outlet.
He described costs for consumers as well. NDTV reported that Bartoli linked conflict to higher fuel prices and pressure on household finances. Separately, he connected disruptions to maritime trade with effects on food supplies, the outlet reported.
A separate India-Italy initiative concerns cultural ties. In a May 2026 joint declaration, the two countries said they intend to designate 2027 as the Year of Culture and Tourism between Italy and India. The planned initiative was already part of the bilateral agenda and was not a new decision announced at the summit.
