"What we leave behind has been a challenging year for all of us, due to the looming threats to international security that have repeatedly upset the social equilibrium of many countries, near or far from our borders, but all equally marked by the death of so many innocent lives. The pain is still strong for the victims of the recent terrorist attack that hit Strasbourg, in which our compatriot Antonio Megalizzi also lost his life. The solidarity and closeness of Italy goes to his family and the French people ”.
The memory of the young journalist who died a few days ago in the attack in France opened the intervention of the Minister of Defense, Elisabetta Trenta, pronounced on the occasion of the traditional wishes with foreign military attachés, the Combat and Weapon Associations and the leaders of Defense, present the Undersecretaries of State for Defense, Raffaele Volpi and Angelo Tofalo, the President of the Defense Commission of the Chamber Gianluca Rizzo, the Chief of Defense Staff, General Enzo Vecciarelli, the Secretary General of Defense, the leaders of the Armed Forces and the Guardia di Finanza.
Meeting opened by the greeting of the dean of the body of foreign military attachés, gen. Brig. Scech Aues Mao 'Mahad, which was followed by the speeches of the president of the National Permanent Council of the Associations d'Arma, gen. ca Mario Buscemi, and of the president of the Italian Confederation between the fighting and partisan associations, Claudio Betti.
In his speech Minister Trenta then recalled the results achieved during the 2018 "A year of great political decisions, triggered by the strong will of cooperation expressed by many countries, friends and allies, which has redefined in terms of concreteness and effectiveness the role of the European Union and NATO on the international security scene".
European integration in the Defense sector has certainly been among the most significant innovations: "A historical result, which reaches 11 years from the signing of the Lisbon Treaty, and which strongly affirms the renewed role of Europe as a global security provider".
Also worth mentioning is the constitution of the Naples HUB, proof of the renewed interest with which NATO looks to the southern flank and to the Mediterranean.
"For the future, we will continue to rely on two strong and vital realities, the European Union and NATO, for the fight against international terrorism and for the maintenance of stability and security in the world" Minister Trenta said that he underlined the importance of consolidating the relations of friendship and cooperation among the States "An indispensable condition to respond to the indeterminacy of the current geo-strategic framework that puts internal and international security at risk".
The holder of the Dicastery then thanked the foreign military attachés for the work done and for the attention shown in following the events and the common defense and security policies. To the presidents of the Combatting, Weapon and Category Associations, he expressed the closeness of the dicastery to the world of military associations "Authoritative guardians of the values and traditions of the entire world of defense".
"Italy - he concluded - it is a vital country, with complex problems, but rich in human resources and capabilities that only ask to be fully exploited. The search for solutions to these problems is a fundamental task of politics, and sometimes the debate on how to ensure Italy a stable guide and a common vision of national interests is very strong. But this is only the proof of the firm determination to want to look to the future and to want to be protagonists of this future ".
