I think it would be of interest to your readers and to the Maltese general public to know that Italian-Maltese collaboration is continuing at a high level and continues to develop in a positive way.

An Advanced Rescue Swimmers course which was held in Malta came to an end on 17 July. The training activity for Maltese rescuers was carried out by the Italian Military Mission with the help of two helicopters AB 212 of the Italian Military Mission in Malta as well as three aircraft from the Centro Addestramento Equipaggio of the Italian Air Force.

During the two-week course, the Italian and Maltese crew worked together in training rescue operations at sea and carried out various complex activities of help and recovery of survivors at sea. The course has been an important contribution to an ever-increasing integration of the procedures and ways of intervention in emergency situations, finalised for safeguarding human lives at sea.

The intense training programme, which was preceded by theoretical sessions, consisted in exercises of recovery operations at sea by the AB 212 helicopter of the Italian Military Mission. During the said exercises the Maritime Squadron of Malta was also involved with the use of the vessel Melita carrying on board a petty officer of the Italian Navy.

This training activity is part of the technical-military cooperation which has been going on for the last 36 years following the bilateral agreement signed between Italy and Malta. Specifically the course, which forms part of the academic programme for 2009/10, has been explicitly requested by the Maltese Armed Forces and forms part of a vast cooperation programme which includes all the sections of the Armed Forces of Malta and Italy.

At the end of the course, the Head of the Italian Military Mission, Col. Giovanni Ormetti, expressed his appreciation for the work carried out by the instructors of the Air Force, emphasising the importance of this cooperation in Search and Rescue at sea which for many years has been ensured by crew and aircraft of the Italian Air Force operating within the Italian Military Mission in Malta.

Paolo Andrea Trabalza

Ambassador