Sergio Mattarella decides to reconvene the Supreme Defense Council on 13 July

Sergio Mattarella decides to reconvene the Supreme Defense Council on 13 July

The president of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, reconvened the Supreme Defense Council, at the Quirinale Palace, for Thursday 13 July 2023 at 17.00 pm following the failure to hold the meeting already scheduled for 13 June 2023.

The agenda includes updated information on the war in Ukraine and other major crisis areas in the world; on the implications of the international situation for Italy; on issues relating to the management of migratory flows, in the short term and in future projection.
Furthermore, the Council will address the issue of the state of efficiency of the Armed Forces and the process of reform and modernization of the military instrument, also in light of the main defense investment programs and the overall industrial policy of the country.

Meanwhile, before arriving in Vilnius for the NATO summit, today the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be in Riga for a bilateral meeting with the Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins.

This is the first visit by an Italian head of government to Latvia since 1998. In view of tomorrow's Vilnius Summit, the meeting allows us to enhance the presence of the Italian contingent in the Adazi military base, as part of the enhanced Forward Presence, and Italy's participation in NATO's air policing activities in the Baltic region , as well as to strengthen, on a bilateral level, collaboration in the economic and cultural fields.

The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine will be one of the topics at the center of the bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister and the Latvian Prime Minister who will have the opportunity to take stock of the main topics on the agenda at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, including the roadmap for Ukraine's accession, the Alliance's posture on the eastern flank and defense spending. Italy and Latvia share a commitment to supporting Ukraine at all levels: political, military, humanitarian and refugee reception, and underline the importance of the role of NATO and the European Union in managing the crisis. Italy and Latvia are also united in supporting Ukraine's European integration in line with the commitments undertaken with the EU institutions. On an economic level, economic collaboration between Italy and Latvia is rapidly expanding. In 2022, trade reached 1,1 billion euros (+30,4% compared to 2020).