Members of Italy's security forces who are deployed to the United Nations UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in Lebanon help stabilise the region, Italy's defence minister Lorenzo Guerini said on Monday.
"Italian soldiers have been helping the UNIFIL mission ensure stability in a crucial region of the Middle East for over 40 years," Guerini said.
"Our contingent, which is traditionally close to the Lebanese people, will keep aiding the country's municipalities in this extremely difficult phase," Guerini went on.
Guerini made the remarks to Lebanon's foreign minister Nassif Hitti, who is on his first visit to Italy since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The important results achieved by the (UNFIL) mission have brought Italy's and Lebanon's armed forces even closer together," said Guerini.
"For this reason, Italy believed that the mission should be extended without any changes to its mandate," he added.
Throught the bilateral MIBIL mission and the Italian-led UNIFIL, Italy will continue to back Lebanon and its armed forces, Guerini said.
"The level of cooperation with Italy won't be reduced," he underlined.
Hitti also met with Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio during his visit to Rome and Lebanon's economic crisis was at the centre of their talks, Hitti tweeted.
"Di Maio gave assurances of Italy's absolute commitment to supporting Lebanon economically, financially and socially," according to the tweet.
