The 14th Bilateral Committee between Italy and Pakistan, during which a meeting was held between the general secretary of defense and national director of armaments, general of the army corps Luciano Portolano, and the secretary of the ministry of defense for production of Pakistan, lieutenant general Humayun Aziz.
From the previous one Bilateral, held in Islamabad in November 2021, it was found that over 50% of the activities carried out were completed successfully. This is thanks to the continuous work and comparison between the working groups of the two countries in recent months and to the synergy with the Italian industries of the sector, such as AIAD, Fincantieri, Leonardo, MBDA Italy, Electronics, Rheinmetall Italy and Fabbrica d'Armi Beretta.
In particular, topics concerning the maintenance of the Pakistani defense equipment supplied by Italian industries in the land, aeronautical and naval sectors were discussed and further opportunities for future cooperation in the defense materials sector were discussed. There was also talk of some potential industrial cooperation in the field of small arms, electronic warfare and shipbuilding.
As part of the wide-ranging and geostrategic interview, General Portolano has "Recognized the role that Pakistan plays in the complex regional context and in the delicate stabilization process of Afghanistan, highlighting, in particular, the position that the Asian country assumes in the international community as a regional actor, with a foreign policy open to cooperation with the China, while maintaining important relations with the United States and the European Union ". Since 2017, Pakistan has also been a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a geostrategic alliance that has its origins in the concerns expressed by the countries of Central Asia regarding security and, in this case, the threats of international terrorism.
During the meetings there were clear references of an economic-financial nature; the drama of floods and climate change are the background to an increase in inflation in the Pakistani country with inevitable consequences also on the industrial fabric and, in the specific case, of that of the defense industry. However, the technical discussions of recent days have represented an important stimulus for cooperation and dialogue between the Pakistani defense and the Italian aerospace, defense and security industry.
