The two-day official visit of the Army Chief of Staff, General Salvatore Farina to Qatar, where he was received by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, if Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah and met with the Chief of the Defense Staff, Lieutenant General Ghanim Shaheen Al Ghanim and the Commander of the Land Forces, Major General Saeed Hesayen Mohammed Al-Khayarin.
On the first day of the visit, General Farina, accompanied by the Italian Ambassador Alessandro Prunas, in his meeting with Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah and the military leaders, expressed words of esteem and satisfaction for the projects related to military cooperation, highlighting the success of the joint exercise activities carried out so far - the “Nasr 19” in Qatar in 2019 and the “Steel Storm” last October in Italy - which saw the Italian and Qatari armies cooperate closely. The exchange of experiences sought by Qatar, in fact, together with the Italian need to train personnel in shooting ranges that allow full use of the weapon systems, has given rise to initiatives that have proved successful. For this reason and in full agreement, the opportunity was confirmed to continue in 2021 and in the following years the cooperation in the field of exercises, training and weapons systems.
On the second day, the head of SME took part in an office call with the commander of the Land Forces during which the main features of the organization and development of the Qatari Land Forces were illustrated, highlighting the commitment to make more and more interoperable the two armies and the effort to increase joint exercise activities in the wake of what happened last year. In this regard, the commander of the Land Forces, Major General Al-Khayarin immediately reiterated the importance of continuing the collaboration with an increase in synergy also in the sectors of specialty training, language and training courses.
At the end of the visit, the main land vehicles and simulation systems used by the Qatari Army were presented to the head of SME. The gen. Farina thanked the commanders and all the military personnel for their commitment, the passion with which they constantly work, for the technical skills and the synergy sought over the years, as well as for the achievement of the exercise objectives in joint activities with the 'Italian army.
A lasting military cooperation between Italy and Qatar that General Farina wanted to strengthen with his visit to Doha, hoping more and more a solid collaboration between the two armies.
