The Chief of Defense Staff, General Enzo Vecciarelli presided yesterday at the change ceremony of the Italian contingent deployed in Latvia as part of theenhanced Forward Presence (eFP). In the military base of Ādaži the ten. with the. Fulvio Menegazzo of the 9th regiment Alpini he handed over the command to ten. with the. Giovanni Rucco of the 1st regiment Bersaglieri.
The new contingent deployed was identified by the "Garibaldi" Bersaglieri brigade based on 1 ° regiment Bersaglieri.
The Army Alpine troop unit concluded its mandate after an intense training cycle during which eight joint and multinational training activities were carried out with NATO allied countries, such as Albania, Canada, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Montenegro. The Alpine troops, during the training activities carried out with the other contingents framed in Multinational Battle Group Latvia (MN BG LATVIA), have developed a further mastery of the use of the weapon systems supplied, tested the operational capabilities of men and weapon systems in extreme environmental conditions, improved the capacity for integration and cooperation in a multinational context.
The Italian contingent on a mission in Latvia has fully achieved the objectives set by theenanched Forward Presence such as the capacity for integration and cooperation between the countries of the Alliance, indispensable, in order to face any threat that could undermine stability and peace in the borders of NATO.
With the solemn act of passing the tricolor flag of the contingent, the ceremony ended between the transferor commander and the incoming commander.
General Vecciarelli during his speech: "I thank the Allied Countries such as Canada at the helm of the Battle Group, Albania, Montenegro, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Spain and Slovenia, with which the contingent has integrated and cooperated in the last six months. I thank you Alpini who have proven to be true professionals by training you in extreme conditions, the presence of the Italian contingent in Latvia is a clear demonstration, on the one hand, of solidarity and cohesion between member countries and, on the other, of the determination of the Atlantic Alliance in its primary mission defense of the Euro-Atlantic territorial integrity against any possible aggression and external threat. I close by launching my thoughts to the two Albanian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the fulfillment of their duty ".
