Italian navy commander praises Bahrain as a strategic, great country

The Commander of Italy’s Naval Group 30 said that Bahrain was a strategic country that holds a special significance in the region and well beyond. “The presence of the US Fifth Fleet here is a clear indication of Bahrain’s strategic importance,” Rear Admiral Paolo Treu, the Commander of Naval Group 30, said in the capital Manama. “Bahrain is also a great country that attracted people from diverse nationalities,” he added. The Group, composed of aircraft carrier Cavour, supply ship Etna, frigate Bergamini and patrol ship Borsini, will be staying in Bahrain until December 9. Its visit coincides with the holding of the Manama Dialogue, the three-day international security conference due to start on Friday. Treu said that he would meet with various Bahraini authorities to discuss ways to “further foster bilateral relations and focus on recent regional and international developments.” “The aim of this visit is to emphasise the strong relations between the Bahraini and Italian navies. The visit also presents an opportunity for both countries to exchange ideas and operative procedures in order to reinforce bilateral cooperation,” he said at a media conference aboard the Cavour. Italian Ambassador Alberto Vecchi welcomed the visit, saying that Italy had taken part in the Manama Dialogue in the past, but it was the first time that it had an aircraft carrier moored in Bahrain. The high profile mooring is seen as a positive development in the relations and cooperation between Manama and Rome. The Group is on a mission of 146 days and 36,000 kilometres during which it will visit 18 different countries and moor in 20 ports The visits are part of an Italian Navy movement to promote synergic operative and training actions, interoperability and cooperation with local navies in the countries to be visited, humanitarian assistance and the promotion of "Made in Italy" exhibitions. “One of the objectives in this campaign is to boost interactions with allied navies that are sailing in the waters that we will be crossing and with the navies of friendly nations. We want to enhance interpolarity and integration and to build confidence and friendship, also in view of future joint operations within maritime coalitions designed to face crises and conflicts,” Treu said. The Group left Italy on November 13 towards the Suez Canal to start a naval campaign across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf, ending with the circumnavigation of Africa. Jeddah, Djibouti and Abu Dhabi were the first port visits. It will leave the Gulf for Africa on January 2 and it is scheduled to be back at its homeport in Italy on April 17. “The campaign is both a daring and ambitious initiative considering the number of goals we wish to achieve. The Italian Navy ships have a multirole nature that allows them to perform valuable capabilities in military and non-military mission in order to boost the reputation of Ital internationally and particularly in the strategic areas that we will cross and visit during our journey,” Treu said.