On Wednesday, January 19, the AM delegation, led by Gen. B.A. Fantuzzi, met with the representatives of the Ellenikì Polemikì Aeroporia
The Italian delegation, led by the Chief of the III Department of the Air Staff, Brigadier General Giovanni Fantuzzi, included experts from the Air Staff on the main agenda items, a representative of the Command of the Schools of the Air Staff/3rd Air Region of Bari, and the Italian Defence Attaché in Athens, Brigadier General Roberto Cattaneo. The Greek delegation was led by Brigadier General Charilaos Lamprou, Head of the Directorate of International Affairs of the HAFGS.
During the work, General Fantuzzi met with the Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Christos Charitos, and with his main collaborators: the Head of the Operations Department, Major General Antonios Pierros, and the Head of the Plans and Programs Department, Major General Evangellos Tournas.
The talks covered the main cooperation programs in place and the prospects for future collaboration, with reference also to forms of support in the training of the Greek crews on the C-27J simulator provided to the National Training Center in Pisa. Both parties also expressed particular satisfaction with the excellent results achieved by the ongoing collaboration in the field of flight training, an activity that could see further development with the imminent arrival at the Flight School in Lecce of the new T-346 trainer. The meetings finally allowed for the sharing of a ‘way ahead’ for the definition of a Technical Agreement in the field of Air Defense to adopt common procedures for countering terrorist threats, in analogy to what has already been achieved with France, Switzerland and Austria.
Before returning to Italy, General Fantuzzi was received by the Italian Ambassador in Athens, Dr. Francesco Paolo Trupiano, who emphasized the importance of consolidating, also through cooperation between the two air forces, the national presence in the Greek country.
