Yesterday, on board the Garibaldi ship moored in the Mar Grande Naval Station of Taranto, the handover ceremony of the command of the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR) took place between the commander of the Spanish Fleet (Almirante de la Flota) Admiral Francisco Javier Franco Suanzes (transferor) and the commander in chief of the Italian Naval Squadron, team admiral Filippo Maria Foffi (accepting).
The ceremony, chaired by the Chief of Defense Staff, General Claudio Graziano, was attended by the military leaders of the Euromarfor countries as well as by various civil society authorities. Admiral Suanzes in his farewell speech highlighted how Euromarfor has demonstrated its validity on several occasions in defense especially of European interests, meaning that "it is important to continue to work in line with the European Union's maritime strategy policy with particular attention to new friends "precisely because the security of the Mediterranean passes through cohesion and collaboration.
Admiral Foffi in his inauguration speech also highlighted the validity and importance of Euromarfor, reiterating that "this initiative is evidence of the commitment of our governments to support Europe's defense and security strategy".
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Claudio Graziano, also wanted to focus on the situation that Europe, but above all Italy, is called to face in this particular moment of crisis, which is widespread above all in the Mediterranean area, meaning that "it is It is obvious that in order to let the EU fully fulfill its role as a security provider, we must foster collaborations between our forces to further improve their capabilities and their interoperability, always maintaining the traditional mindset and skills essential for the protection of our countries , in every environment, including the new cybernetic domain. In this way we should start, making use of the existing operational frameworks, such as the European Maritime Force, and starting from the experience acquired to date "; finally concluding General Graziano himself dwelt on the story of our marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano La Torre, hoping for a quick conclusion of the the story and finally be able to see them again at home.
Euromarfor is a naval force - not permanent - established on May 15, 1995 by France, Spain, Italy and Portugal capable of carrying out the main missions defined in the "Petersberg Declaration", such as maritime control, humanitarian assistance and the evacuation of populations, maintenance and reacquisition of peace and crisis management conditions. Over the years Euromarfor has given ample demonstration of its effectiveness and flexibility of use both through training events and through its participation in real operations such as the operation Coherent Behavior in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 2002, the operation Resolute Behavior in the Indian Ocean from the 2003 to the 2005, the operation Impartial Behavior in the Eastern Mediterranean and off the coast of Lebanon under UN aegis between 2008 and 2009, and since 2011 it has been active in the anti-piracy operation Atalanta, under aegis EU in Indian ocean.
Italy takes over the command of the Euromarfor for the fourth time from the 1995, year of foundation.
