These missions serve to strengthen dialogue and understand Gulf perceptions on various issues, at a time when deterrence is perhaps more relevant than many other traditional aspects of defense.
This is what Giangiacomo Calovini, a Brothers of Italy MP and a member of the Foreign and Community Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, tells Decode39, speaking by telephone from Abu Dhabi, where he is heading the delegation attending the meeting of NATO’s Science and Technology Committee.
It is an opportunity to engage with a strategic country such as the United Arab Emirates, which has been subjected to repeated attacks by Iran and with which NATO cooperates and is developing a fruitful bilateral exchange, and to highlight the sustained relationship the Italian government has established with its Emirati counterpart.
Q: What are the objectives of the mission?
A: The mission, organized at the initiative of NATO’s Mediterranean Special Group and Science and Technology Committee, aims to strengthen dialogue between Alliance countries and the Gulf, for obvious reasons.
- This event has been planned for some time and is all the more relevant at an extremely delicate moment, given the tensions in this region, also in connection with the midterm elections and following the vote in Israel.
Q: In which areas is the UAE most attentive and keen to engage in dialogue?
A: The mission went very well. The Gulf countries, and the UAE in particular, are paying close attention to defence. We should remember that during the attacks in February and March, as they repeatedly pointed out to us, they were targeted by around 90% of the drones or missiles launched by Iran against the Gulf.
- Despite that enormous number, they still managed to defend themselves more effectively in relative terms, thanks to the development, research and technology they have been pursuing for years. They are aware that deterrence is very likely the future when it comes to surviving Iranian threats.
- So, of the six Gulf countries, the UAE is perhaps the one paying the closest attention to NATO. Clearly, these missions serve to strengthen dialogue and also to understand how they are approaching various issues.
Q: Who did you meet, and how did you engage with them?
A: The first session took place at the British embassy, which hosted us for a discussion with several military attachés and ambassadors representing NATO countries. In the afternoon, I spoke at what was effectively a council dealing with defense and armaments, comparable to the armaments office of the Defence General Staff.
- First of all, I expressed solidarity and support for the Gulf countries, and particularly the UAE, in the face of the attacks and threats they have received.
- Secondly, I stressed that deterrence is undeniably now the path we must all follow in a world that is becoming increasingly complex from a geopolitical perspective.
- Dialogue therefore remains essential, particularly when it comes to research activities.
Q: How is the concept of defense changing?
A: Considerably. We discussed this in relation to the cyberattack against some European supermarkets. To those who say we should not invest in defense, I would point out that protecting supermarkets and preventing food from being thrown away also falls within the new concept of defense, a point Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made repeatedly.
- We must be aware of the cyber challenges we face, which is why I believe these initiatives help strengthen capabilities that are becoming increasingly strategic. But there is more.
Q: Go deeper, please…
A: Let me add something, also in light of a very good conversation at the embassy with our ambassador and several representatives of the Italian community, particularly businesspeople. It is now clear to everyone, both within and beyond the Gulf, that Italy is playing a fundamental role in the region.
- The most significant example is Prime Minister Meloni’s four visits to the UAE in four years in government, something that had never happened before. Above all, she was the first leader of a European and NATO country to visit the UAE after the Iranian attack.
- Given the importance attached to symbolism and courtesy in this part of the world, they have understood that Italy is a genuine, solid and reliable partner for the present, but above all for the future.
