H.E. Mr. Gabriele Altana, Italian Ambassador to Finland, this afternoon signed the Memorandum of Understanding and Italy became the 15th member state in the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threat.
“I’m very delighted with Italy’s decision to join Hybrid CoE. Like Denmark, which joined the Centre two weeks ago, also Italy has actively participated in planning the establishment of the Centre since the beginning of the process. It is also great to get a new participant from Southern Europe; it improves the geographical balance of the Centre,” said Matti Saarelainen, Director of Hybrid CoE.
“Italy fully supports a deeper and more extensive international cooperation in countering and mitigating the hybrid threats. Indeed, the Hybrid Centre of Excellence provides a sound platform for pursuing stronger ties of collaboration, in the wider frame of EU-NATO cooperation. Italy looks forward to contributing actively to the initiatives and networking put forward and facilitated by Hybrid CoE, to the benefit of European security and in line with the aims and objectives of the EU Global Strategy,” said Ambassador Altana.
Hybrid CoE now has altogether 15 members, including Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Centre closely cooperates with the EU and NATO.
