Rome, Mar. 7 (LaPresse) – "Today I convened an emergency videoconference meeting with the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Luciano Portolano, the National Director of Armaments, Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani, and representatives of the Italian defence industry. About 130 people participated in the meeting. The purpose was to share the complex geopolitical situation, especially now in the Middle East, and to stimulate and make the defence industry responsible for the need to protect national interests, committing beyond normal commercial standards," said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto in a statement.
"During the meeting," he explained, "I urged the defence industry to report all their operational capabilities, programs in the finalization phase, and any initiative that could contribute, in a very short time, to further strengthening the country’s defence, particularly air defence, as well as that of allied and friendly countries. I also stressed that, in such a delicate and dramatic moment, it is essential to minimize obstacles and bureaucratic procedures, which are increasingly incompatible with urgent needs and negatively affect efficiency and, ultimately, the country’s security. At this moment, it is of fundamental importance that the national system operates in close synergy and with speed in the face of an international situation that could escalate, creating significant complications and difficulties for Italy both geopolitically and economically," he concluded.
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