Deputy Secretary General praises Italy’s role in NATO, calls for strengthened cooperation with partners
Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană concluded a visit with NATO Permanent Representatives to Italy on Tuesday (16 April 2024) with an address in Rome marking the Alliance’s 75th anniversary. Speaking at the Società Italiana per l’Organizzazione Internazionale (SIOI), Mr Geoană praised Italy’s role in NATO, calling Italy an “indispensable Ally.”
The Deputy Secretary General underlined that strengthening NATO’s cooperation with partners is essential when dealing with shared security challenges. “We see this with Russia's war against Ukraine. It adversely affects Europe as a whole, and makes the entire world more unstable. The same is true of terrorists, of climate change, and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The sources of instability affect us all everywhere.” He said, “we must address them together. This is why NATO is working ever more closely with our partners, with countries, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks around the world. Because our sacred mission that our founding fathers enshrined in the Washington Treaty remain as valid as ever, to keep our people safe, and the world safer.”
The Deputy Secretary General met with Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto in Rome and earlier visited the Italian “Cavour” aircraft carrier at Luni Sarzana Base, together with NATO Permanent Representatives
On Monday (15 April), the Deputy Secretary General visited the Italian airbase in Cameri, which serves as a regional centre to maintain and service the entire fleet of F-35 aircraft in Europe. In La Spezia, he also visited Fincantieri shipyard and the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), a scientific facility that makes important contributions to Euro-Atlantic security.
On Sunday (14 April), Mr Geoană met with Italian defence industry representatives in Turin.