"I will activate myself through every channel and through every channel to advance the proposal of candidacy of the Navy and of all the components that have participated in the bailouts to the Nobel Peace Prize". This was announced by the Minister of Defense, Elisabetta Trenta, on the occasion of Navy Day, celebrated today in Ancona.
"A proposal in which I believe a lot"Minister Trenta added that during the ceremony he took part in the celebrations accompanied by the Defense Chief of Staff, General Claudio Graziano, and the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Valter Girardelli.
The choice of the Doric city for this celebration is full of meaning: from Ancona, exactly one hundred years ago, on the evening of 9 June 1918 two torpedoed speedboats (MAS), commander of corvette captain Luigi Rizzo and ensign Giuseppe Aonzo left for the historical "Premuda Company".
In his speech, the titular holder stressed "the extraordinary daily commitment that the men and women of the Navy have lavished in these years, to assist and save thousands of lives in the waters of the Mediterranean".
"Really thank you for your sense of duty and thank you for your courage!".
The reference to the challenges that our country faces every day on the front of national security and international stability: "A context in which Italy is at the forefront, above all in the protection of the security and stability of European spaces".
"The Mediterranean - he added - is the sea that for centuries has constituted the geographic, cultural, social, religious and economic glue between the North and the South of our world".
In his speech, the minister highlighted how, in a certainly complex international context, "the Navy has performed and carries out all the missions entrusted to it with professionalism, passion and a great sense of responsibility". Vital missions for Italy, for Europe and for the entire international community: from the EUNAVFOR-MED "Sophia" operation to EU anti-piracy activities Atalanta off the Horn of Africa, ensuring freedom of navigation and commercial traffic in the area.
"We are all proud of what the country has been able to do so far to operationally support Europe in the management of its southern border. We are proud of how the Navy has been able to translate the values and ideals of human solidarity and of fundamental rights into practice".
Minister Trenta also explained that the dicastery will pay due attention to the modernization program of the Navy, as an important component of a balanced military instrument that responds to modern challenges: "It is in this context and with this objective that this armed force is carrying out the renewal program of the Units of the FREMM class. They will constitute the 'backbone' of the Navy in the next decades, whose importance is also declined on the front of its industrial, employment and the high percentage of Made in Italy present on all naval units".
