India and Italy to sign MoU to strengthen defense ties

India and Italy are set to sign a bilateral pact in the defense sector to strengthen military ties, according to Italy's Ambassador to India, Vincenzo De Luca. The two countries will also work to enhance navy-to-navy cooperation, with the Italian Navy warship ITS Morosini currently on a port visit to Mumbai. Italy is looking to contribute to India's "Make in India" program and can provide added value in areas such as torpedoes, helicopters, radars, electronic warfare, and shipyards. Italian companies have already signed agreements with shipyards in Kochi and Eastern Shipyard.

Mumbai: Italy’s Ambassador to India, Vincenzo De Luca, on Thursday, said that India and Italy will soon sign a bilateral pact in the defense sector to strengthen their military ties.

HT Image

To enhance navy-to-navy cooperation between the two countries, the Italian Navy warship ITS Morosini is on a port visit to Mumbai from August 10-13. The Italian Navy officers will also meet officers of Western Naval Command

“We are working very hard to contribute to the programme of self-reliance ‘Make in India’,” said Luca.

Make in India is the Centre’s flagship programme that aspires to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development and build best-in-class manufacturing infrastructure.

Luca said there are specific technologies where Italy can provide added value to the Make in India programme, namely torpedoes, helicopters, radars, electronic warfare, and shipyard.

“We will very soon sign a bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU). The MoU already exists between the two sides but will be renewed to further the industrial collaboration after the two countries elevated their ties to strategic partnership earlier this year,” said Luca.

The Italian ambassador said that Italian companies had also signed agreements with shipyards at Kochi and Eastern Shipyard.

Morosini had earlier visited Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and Bangladesh. It will head to Oman after finishing its Mumbai visit.

The Italian embassy, in a statement, said, “In the framework of the current Italian Navy’s five-month naval diplomacy campaign throughout the Indo-Pacific area, this visit aims at demonstrating Italy’s commitment towards the region and strengthening bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding between navies”.

Commissioned in October 2022, ITS Morosini is one of the latest warships in the Italian Navy fleet, and it can reach a speed of 32 knots and has a powerful propulsion system. The ship, which can accommodate two helicopters, also has a naval cockpit which is one of its kind.

On Friday, the Italian delegation will attend a remembrance ceremony at the Prisoners of War Memorial at the Sewri Christian Cemetery in Mumbai.