The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella has lauded the collaboration between the Italian Navy and the Ghana navy in their pursuit to fight piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

He commended the efforts by the two countries, as well as other countries to make the sea a conducive place for maritime business to thrive.

The Italian President made this known when he visited the Italian naval ship, Commandant Bettica at the Port of Tema as part of his 3-day working visit to Ghana.

He commended the Ghana Navy for welcoming the Italian Navy vessel for the common goal of security and freedom for maritime transport and communication.

“This operation is extremely important to ensure a peaceful coexistence, also to include and support the freedom of the sea through the freedom of navigation. This also can be achieved once again through co-operation, thanks to which piracy can be countered as well illicit trafficking. I would like to also mention the extremely important role that is played by naval diplomacy in this respect,” the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella said.

The Minister of Defense, Dominic Nitiwul thanked the Italian President for the visit and said the three months that the Italian navy will spend in the country will benefit the countries along the Gulf of Guinea.

“There is a lot we can do together. The ability to work together and the effectiveness by which we work together and what we are going to gain in working together is only going to strengthen the two countries. We in the Gulf of Guinea, whether it is zone F which stretches from Ghana to Guinea will greatly benefit from your visit. This three (3) months that you are going to be with us, we do believe that we will have a lot of things to share together”.

There was a simulation exercise to demonstrate the skillfulness and collaborative tendencies of both the Italian and Ghanaian navy to combat piracy.