India must show respect for Italy, Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola said on Friday, in an escalating row over two Italian soldiers facing murder charges for killing two Indian fishermen.
"We have a lot of respect for India and for the Indian people but we are expecting equal respect to be shown for Italy, for legality and for international law by the Indian nation," Di Paola told reporters in Rome.
The two soldiers have been in custody since last month in the southern state of Kerala on charges of shooting dead the two fishermen who were mistaken for pirates trying to attack an oil tanker that the Italians were protecting.
"The strength with which these two marines are facing up to this extremely difficult challenge should serve as an example and a stimulus for redoubled efforts to resolve this painful incident through international law," he said.
Italy says the men should be prosecuted in Italy and not in India, claiming the incident occurred in international waters on an Italian-flagged ship.
India insists the soldiers should be dealt with under Indian law.
"Our military must be prosecuted in Italy. They cannot be judged unilaterally, otherwise this would throw into question all our operational activities," said Italian navy chief Admiral Luigi Binelli Mantelli.
"Let's try and shed light on this incident together but we will never leave our sailors alone, Italian military who were doing their duty and protecting not just the ship but also the 19 crew members on board," he said.
Italy has filed a petition in the Kerala state high court seeking instant dismissal of the murder case against Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone.
Ships are increasingly employing armed guards for protection off the coast of Somalia and across the Indian Ocean as vessels of all sizes have been seized by pirates who often secure huge ransoms for crews' safe release.