Bangladesh, Italy keen to deepen defence cooperation

Bangladesh and Italy have expressed interest in strengthening defence cooperation, particularly in military modernisation, training, technical assistance and collaboration in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.

The interest was expressed at a courtesy meeting between Prime Minister’s Defence Adviser Brigadier General (retd) AKM Shamsul Islam and Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro at the adviser’s office at the Armed Forces Division (AFD) in Dhaka Cantonment today.

During the meeting, they held fruitful discussions on various aspects of the longstanding friendly relations between the two countries, according to an ISPR press release issued this evening.

Both sides expressed interest in further strengthening and expanding cooperation between the armed forces of Bangladesh and Italy.

The discussion covered potential areas of cooperation, including defence capacity-building, military training and exchange of experience, technical and technological assistance, and the procurement of modern military equipment and defence materials.

They also held detailed discussion on the contributions of both countries to UN peacekeeping operations and explored opportunities for future cooperation and joint training in this field, the ISPR release said.

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Highlighting the historic friendly relations between Bangladesh and Italy, the defence adviser stressed the importance of continued support from the Italian government for the development of the defence industry and enhancement of defence capabilities.

The Italian ambassador, meanwhile, reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to maintaining its partnership with Bangladesh and continuing cooperation in modernising the Bangladesh Armed Forces.

Both sides expressed hope that high-level dialogue and continued engagement would further strengthen military ties and elevate the broader bilateral partnership between the two countries, the release added.