Italy aims to restore arms trade to United Arab Emirates

Leonardo M345 Emirates Al Fursan
Leonardo M-345 trainer jet.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has approved a document that aims to recover relations with the United Arab Emirates, 4 August. It proposes to abolish the stop of arms exports from Italy to the United Arab Emirates as part of the relaunch "of bilateral relations, revitalizing political, economic, military and cultural cooperation in all sectors of common interest."

The document encourages the Italian government to "strengthen strategic cooperation with the Gulf countries which, as in the case of the United Arab Emirates, have taken on a new and more responsible posture in the region in support of dialogue, peace and stability, as demonstrated by the commitment alongside the West in the fight against fundamentalist terrorism of Daesh and al-Qaeda, the humanitarian support devolved to the United Nations by the Emirates for the Yemeni population and the withdrawal of the Abu Dhabi armed forces from the Yemeni conflict - declared by the Emirati authorities and known also to our Authorities."

This request was followed by a telephone conversation between the Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in which they spoke about "bilateral relations and strategic partnership, and regional issues," according to the Farnesina.

The Italian aerospace company Leonardo could draw good results from this initiative considering the well-established relationships it boasts in the area. The company's history in the United Arab Emirates dates back to the 1970s in the field of military pilot training and defense systems. The UAE has selected the MB-339 trainer jet for their national aerobatic team Al Fursan, with the team's pilots having been trained in Italy, using Leonardo aircraft and systems. As we highlighted in our previous analysis, the new M-345 trainer jet is a great candidate to become the next Al Fursan jet.

Written by Matteo Sanzani
Image: Leonardo

No comments

All comments related to the contents of our articles are welcome. It is not allowed to post promotional messages, links to external sites, or references to activities not related to this blog.

Powered by Blogger.