The Ambassador of Italy Massimo Marotti took part in a ceremony hosted by LAF Brig. Gen. Hosni DAHER and Brig. Gen. Jean FARAH, to mark the donation by the Italian Government of hydrographic equipment to the LAF Navy for the amount of 700 thousand USD.
The donation aims at increasing the capacities and the professional skills of the Lebanese Navy in the specific hydrographic field, in order to increase the security of civil navigation. It follows up to an important training activity carried out by the Italian Navy between 2014 and 2016, within which a hydrographic vessel was already donated last October 2016.
The total value of the project, including a further donation, during 2018, of an Italian vessel with hydrographic capacities, will exceed 2 million USD.
Italy is firmly committed to supporting the LAF, not only through our robust participation in the UNIFIL with a military component of 1000 troops and the direct responsibility of Sector West, bust also through the Italian Bilateral Military Mission to Lebanon (MIBIL), through which the Italian Armed Forces have trained more than 1000 Lebanese soldiers since 2015.
To confirm this important commitment, Italy will host in early 2018 an international conference to promote the support to the LAF, as announced by the Italian Head of State Mattarella to President Aoun on the occasion of his recent visit to Rome.
