It took place today in the port of Djibouti on board the Italian ship Andrea Doria the change of command ceremony of the EU ASPIDES operation between Italy and Greece, in the presence of the Greek Minister of Defence Nikos Dendias, the Djiboutian Minister of Defence Hassan Bouran, the Italian Chief of Defence Staff General Luciano Portolano and the Italian Ambassador Agostino Palese.
The Italian political and military contribution to Operation ASPIDES was recognized and highly appreciated by all those involved.
In his greeting, the Chief of Defence Staff General Luciano Portolano underlined how the EUNAVFOR/ASPIDES operation represents a tangible example of the European Union's will to assert itself as an important global player and one of the main players capable of providing maritime security in a very sensitive area. This operation, continued General Portolano, must be synchronized and coordinated with other military and non-military operations, missions and initiatives conducted in the area, pursuing the primary objective of ensuring the protection of sea lines of communication and maritime security. This is in order to restore the conditions of stability in the area whose effects also reverberate in the Mediterranean.
Ambassador Palese highlighted Italy's commitment to the EU ASPIDES mission and highlighted Italy's major investment in protecting the freedom of international maritime trade, which also gives Italy significant political projection in Europe as well as in the Horn of Africa region and the Red Sea, and is above all an important tool for protecting the security and economic well-being of Italians.
