Esteemed Commander Bartolomeo, Esteemed General Sakanashi, Officers and sailors of the Italian Navy, Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends and colleagues, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all aboard the wonderful Antonio Marceglia frigate.
Nave Marceglia, which arrived in Japan on March 27, is a mix of elegance and cutting-edge technology. It is also a symbol of Italy’s maritime tradition and of our commitment to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.
Its presence here and its upcoming port call in Osaka, from April 11 to 22, also serves as a reminder of the spirit of deep friendship and partnership that exists between Italy and Japan. Two democratic countries with shared values, common strategic interests and a joint commitment to freedom of navigation, the rules-based international order and global prosperity.
The arrival of the Italian frigate to Japan it is not a first. Over the past few years Italy has increased its military presence in Japan and in the broader Indo-Pacific region with a number of visits and joint exercises of our navy and airforce.
August last year saw the most important visits with the Italian Carrier Strike Group led by the Cavour aircraft carrier and joint exercises of our F35 squadron. At the same time, Tokyo welcomed our beautiful Amerigo Vespucci training ship.
In today’s turbulent world, enhancing our collaboration and our capacity to work together is more important than ever. Bilaterally, in the framework of EU-Japan relations, in multilateral formats such as the G7 and the G20, and across the spectrum of International Organizations, where we are consistently like-minded.
The Strategic Partnership established by our two Governments in January 2023 is an essential tool to deepen our cooperation, further strengthened in July 2024, by the adoption of a concrete Action Plan for the next three years.
This reflects the intense political efforts made over the past few years by both sides, from the many High-Level visits to Italy by Japanese authorities, to those in Japan by Italy’s highest institutional representatives, including Prime Minister Meloni in February 2024, Defense Minister Crosetto in August 2024, and President Mattarella in early March this year.
Foreign Minister Tajani’s imminent visit to Osaka for the inauguration of EXPO confirms this strategic vision, and Minister Iwaya’s recent participation in the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels underscore the priority that our Countries place on a shared vision and on a fruitful collaboration.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for joining us this evening, and I hope you will enjoy your visit aboard Nave Marceglia. Looking forward to the celebration, next year, of the 160th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan, let me say from the bottom of my heart, long live our friendship!
Thank you very much.