On October 17 new Military Attaché of Italy to Lithuania Col Giovanni Trebisonda was accredited at a ceremony at the Ministry of National Defence.
“Defence cooperation between Lithuania and Italy is on a significant rise.We are grateful to the Italiansyou’re your consistent participation in the NATO AIR Policing Mission in the Baltic states, contributions to the NATO Force Integration Unit and the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence in Lithuania,” said Head of the Ministry of National Defence Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Group Aurimė Gražienė.
Italy provides the current Air Policing rotation which deployed to Šiauliai in August 2023 and will last until November. Two more succeeding missions have been already mapped out for 2024 and 2025.
One of the most notable instances of the Lithuania-Italian cooperation are acquisition of three C-27J Spartan cargo aircraft from an Italian company. The Italian Armed Forces maintain communication with aircraft crews and service personnel to this day to ensure their skills and expertise are up to date, and assist the Lithuanian Armed Forces with fighter aircraft pilot training.
Appointment of the new Military Attaché to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is assign of increasing cooperation. Previous Military Attachés would cover the Baltic states, Poland and the Czech Republic in their mandate.
Military Attaché to Lithuania Col Giovanni Trebisonda is an Italian Air Force colonel who served in Iraq in 2019. He will be based in Tallinn.
Photo credit: MoD / A. Pliadis
