General Giancotti then met, together with a delegation from the TFA, the Italian Ambassador to Bulgaria. On Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 October, Air Force General Fernando Giancotti, Commander of the Air Force, accompanied by Air Division General Silvano Frigerio, Commander of Combat Forces, visited the Task Force Air (TFA) 4th Wing, stationed at Graf Ignatievo (Bulgaria) to carry out the NATO enhanced Air Policing mission. General Giancotti, welcomed by the Commander of the 4th Wing TFA, Colonel Moris Ghiadoni, visited the logistical and operational facilities of the Italian detachment redeployed to Bulgaria. During the visit, General Giancotti was able to assess the level of readiness of the Italian assets and the excellent integration achieved with the host nation. On the morning of 31 October, the Commander of the Air Force had met with the personnel of the 4th Wing TFA, emphasising that: “the 4th Wing TFA has received excellent feedback from the leadership of the Republic of Bulgaria for the work carried out during these four months of the mission in implementing the collective defence of Allied airspace”. Furthermore, addressing the personnel, he expressed his appreciation for the work carried out with passion and professionalism. On the evening of Monday 30 October, General Giancotti, together with a delegation from the 4th Wing Task Force Air (TFA), led by Colonel Ghiadoni, met the Italian Ambassador to Bulgaria, H.E. Stefano Baldi. During the cordial meeting, held at the Embassy in Sofia, Colonel Ghiadoni had the opportunity to outline the results achieved through the Italian Eurofighters’ deployment to defend Bulgarian airspace, expressing his gratitude for the attention and sensitivity with which the Ambassador had followed the TFA’s activities over the past four months. For his part, the Italian diplomat expressed his appreciation to the personnel of the TFA 4th Wing for the extraordinary work carried out during their more than four-month deployment in Bulgaria, and his satisfaction with theimage of efficiency and operational capability that the Italian Air Task Force is projecting whilst carrying out NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission. Furthermore, they emphasised the excellent cooperation established with the Bulgarian Air Force.
