NATO: Minister Crosetto in Brussels for the Defence Ministers’ Atlantic Council

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Defence Minister Guido Crosetto took part yesterday and today in the Defence Ministers’ Atlantic Council in Brussels, at NATO Headquarters, in the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

“We have reiterated the need for NATO to focus not only on the Eastern flank, but also on the Southern flank. Italy has expressed its will to work for NATO’s commitment on the latter to be formalized during the next Washington NATO Summit, by establishing a body dedicated to Southern Flank issues. We must work today to avoid having to do that when such problem, over the next few years, will be much more serious”.

Thus Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on the margins of the NATO ministerial.

Yesterday, during talks with U.S: Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, Minister Crosetto said: “It was an opportunity for a cordial exchange of views with friend and colleague Lloyd Austin, the U.S: Defence Secretary. Italy and the United States are linked by the same values and historical bonds. We must work together to tackle global challenges”.

During the event, Minister Crosetto signed a Letter of Intent on the Armoured Cap ability Coalition for Ukraine initiative. The agreement aims to strengthen the defence and protection of the civilian population and critical infrastructures, increasing the Ukrainian Armoured Forces’ capabilities in the land domain.

At the end of yesterday’s session, Minister Crosetto took part in a bilateral meeting with Polish Defence Minister Wladislaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. During talks ,great interest was expressed as regards cooperation between the respective Armed Forces as well as within the framework of the defence industry, in particular regarding the EU Integrated Air Defence System.