Today, Secretary Carter met with Italian Minister of Defense Roberta Pinotti at the NATO Defense Ministerial to discuss U.S.-Italian defense partnership, Libya, and European security.
In their first meeting, Secretary Carter thanked Minister Pinotti for Italy's leadership as a reliable ally in Afghanistan, the Balkans and Iraq, and their contributions to air policing efforts in the Baltics. He also thanked her for Italy serving as host to the 13,500 American service members and families. The two leaders discussed the importance of their nations' close cooperation in bringing stability to Libya. Secretary Carter also thanked Minister Pinotti for Italy's role in securing Europe's southern flank.
Both leaders stated that they look forward to working together more in the future.