Ministero della Difesa

​“I am a convinced and aware supporter of the privileged relationship that binds Italy and the United States. A relationship that allows my country to get the necessary attention, within a NATO framework, for the security requirements of the so-called Southern Flank: the Enlarged Mediterranean where Italy has the ambition to become the reference Ally. Thanks to this relationship, Italy hosts a significant contingent of US troops and, with the United States, is one of the main contributors in International missions and operations in the most crucial theaters of operation. Finally, that relationship is reflected in a strong industrial cooperation, which allows the main Italian industries of excellence in the defense sector to express their recognized competitiveness on the US market, a further indispensable tool to strengthen the close friendship between our two countries “, Minister Lorenzo Guerini said during his speech at the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy (AmCham Italy) webinar.

The videoconference was an opportunity for discussing and analyzing Italy’s scenarios and prospects in the aerospace and defence industry with experts in that sector, and to present the first white paper on the Italian and US systems and their interaction developed by the AmCham Italy Aerospace and Defence Working Team.

The videoconference theme was “The centrality of the transatlantic relationship for the Aerospace and Defense sector”.

The meeting was opened by US Ambassador to Italy Lewis M. Elise berg and AmCham Italy Executive Advisor Simone Crolla.

“The transatlantic relationship plays a fundamental role for Italy, both on the international scenario and within NATO collective security framework: the productive cooperation between our two countries has always taken place, without any break, in that context. In particular, this is true for the defence and security sector, recently further strengthened by the start of the Strategic Dialogue”, Minister Guerini said , after opening his speech by expressing his deep gratitude to the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy and its member companies for the initiatives taken to provide aid and solidarity to our country in the fight against COVID-19.

In underscoring the pandemic crisis we are experiencing, Guerini added:” It is a turning point for our civilization: all governments are at work to counter and overcome it with the least possible social and economic repercussions. In this uncertain scenario, the Aerospace and Defense industry provides an indispensable wealth of knowledge, innovation and job prospects, a driver for economic recovery, growth and investment for future generations “.