Italian Minister of Defense Sergio Mattarella on a visit to Kyiv discussed military cooperation with his Ukrainian counterpart Gen. Oleksandr Kuzmuk. The two ministers noted the ever increasing number of joint actions between their defense agencies; 25 are scheduled next year. These include, among other things, joint naval exercises as part of the Partnership for Peace program, and special language courses for Ukrainian officers, organized by Italy. Senator Mattarella pointed out that through reforms the Ukrainian army is becoming more modern, open, and that it takes active part in peacekeeping missions. Incidentally, this was also stressed during the recent sitting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission in Brussels with Gen. Kuzmuk’s participation. The existing cooperation treaties will be supplemented by an agreement on military and technical cooperation between the two countries scheduled to be signed next May.
