MANILA — The Philippines and Italy are finalizing a memorandum to improve the military cooperation between the two countries, Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Marco Clemente said on Saturday, after the naval vessel “Francesco Morisini” arrived in Manila for a 5-day port call.

Clemente declined to release more details of the defense agreement Manila and Rome are crafting, but said that “there will be negotiations to reach more clear juridical context in the form of some agreements to improve the cooperation in the military industry context.”

“The Italian technology in this field is amazing. We have a lot to offer,” the Ambassador said.

“The Philippines have a lot to ask. They are very interested in our technology,” he said.

The arrival of the “Morisini” in Manila and the joint exercises that will happen during its port call in Manila is a “game changer” in the defense relations of the two countries as it is the “newest vessel of the Italian navy entirely built by Italy in Italy,” Clemente said in a press conference aboard the 144-meter multipurpose patrol vessel.

“We are working hard to finalize a memorandum that when agreed upon, after receiving the political authorization it will make so much easier our industrial relationships,” the Ambassador said.

“The exercise in the port of Manila will open a lot of opportunity… This presence of the ship Morosini can make a difference for the future of our bilateral relations,” he said.

The Morosini “features a peculiar wave-piercing double bow… an engineering solution optimizing the vessel’s performances in terms of hydrodynamics and maximum attainable speed, with a significant reduction in fuel consumption,” according to information from the Italian embassy.

It can perform both military tasks and civil protection activities such as patrol, logistic transport, surface combat, first aid delivery, fresh water and electricity provider, vertical lift transportation, wide band communications and embarked laboratories, among others.

The ship, which has more than 30 different configurations and can provide fresh water for 6,000 people, was delivered in October 2022, just 2 years after it was commissioned in November 2020, said C.F. Giovanni Monno, commanding officer of the Morisini.

Aside from displaying Italian prowess in the production of military vessels, the Morosini is embarking on a “5-month naval campaign in the Indo-Pacific” to send a “clear signal to the international public opinion that this region is important to us and we want to play a role,” the Ambassador said.

“Italy is very much interested in the stability of the region,” Clemente said.

“The Indo-Pacific region is crucial not only for the obvious strategic reason that through this area is where the main bulk of the trade goes through,” he said.

“Stability in the region also means free trade and stability of the economic situation,” he added.

Italy has been sending its naval fleet to different waters as it pushes for naval diplomacy, and “develop ties and strengthening the cooperation and partners in the region,” said Rear Admiral Fabio Gregori, chief of staff of the Italian Navy Fleet.

“Routinely, we plan to deploy ships in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen the ties in this area,” he said.

“The Philippines is one of the main strategic partners in this area,” he added.

Aside from the Philippines, the Morosini has also anchored in Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea earlier this year, and eyes to sail to India, Bangladesh and the Middle East later on, Gregori said.

Another Italian Navy vessel, the “Amerigo Vespucci,” is expected to be deployed for a world campaign soon, and is expected to sail to the Indo-Pacific by next year, Clemente said.

“For next year we are also planning the deployment of the ship in the area to participate in the training activities with the regional partners,” he said.

The Philippines and Italy’s bilateral relations “are in excellent shape from all points” in recent years, the Italian ambassador said.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has increased by 23.9 percent to 1.3 billion euros in 2022, he said.

There are 160,000 documented Filipino workers in Italy, and 25,000 Italian visas have been issued to Filipinos in 2022 alone, he said.