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KABUL, Afghanistan – Yesterday, Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta visited lnternational Security Assistance Force senior leaders and deployed Italian forces in Herat and Kabul, Afghanistan. The prime minister landed in the morning in Herat, in western Afghanistan, where he met the Italian soldiers at Regional Command West.
"I really wanted to be here today to express the appreciation of the nation to you all. Your contribution to the stability of this part of the world has been recognized worldwide. In these years you have represented the best image of our country in the world," Prime Minister Letta told the soldiers.
Prime Minister Letta met with ISAF commander Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. Gen. Dunford expressed praise for the achievements of the Italian personnel engaged in ISAF, who contribute daily with dedication and professionalism to the success of the mission of supporting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Letta was received at the presidential palace for a joint press conference and a meeting with President Karzai.
“We will discuss our presence here beyond 2014 within the framework of the multilateral framework,” Letta told President Karzai.
“The ISAF mission ends in 2014. Beyond that, our presence will be completely different, and will be dedicated to train and assist the Afghan workforce. The extent of our presence will be discussed in the bilateral framework and, of course, in the Italian parliament. We want to reassure the Afghan people that we will strive to support their future economic progress, in our mutual interest,” he continued.
During the visit, the Italian prime minister also attended a memorial service where members of the NATO coalition joined to honor the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice to give Afghanistan a better future.
In Afghanistan, ltaly deployed as many as 5,000 soldiers (today approximately 3,200) with military units present at every level of ISAF's chain of command, from commanding Regional Command West, to contributing to ISAF Joint Command, NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and ISAF headquarters in Kabul.
In 10 years, Italy’s contribution includes the completion of a hospital and the women's prison in Herat, 81 schools, 49 health facilities, a children's hospital and a youth center. Additionally, the Italians restored 20 public buildings and built 715 wells, 25 streets, 20 canals and bridges in Karta and Zirko Valley. This commitment is also evident from the investment in Afghanistan of more than 4 billion euro.
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2013 06:11 |
| Story ID: | 112583 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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