Starting next year soldiers from Italy’s armed forces will travel to Colombia to receive specialized training, according the Ministry of Defense Monday.
The decision is just one component of a larger defense cooperation agreement between Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon and his Italian counterpart, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola.
Starting in 2013 Italian soldiers will use Colombia’s military expertise and rugged terrain to engage in jungle warfare training. Apparently Di Paola believed it was necessary for the Italians to be trained for a variety of operational scenarios.
In turn, it is expected that Colombian soldiers will receive advanced training at one of Italy’s military colleges.
The two defense ministers also expressed interest in furthering cooperation between Colombia and Italy in the areas of naval security and the fight against transnational organized crime.
The latest foreign defense agreement comes days after an announcement was released that Colombia has trained more than 13,000 soldiers from more than 40 countries since 2005.
The Colombian defense minister is currently on a tour of Europe. He spoke before the General Assembly of Interpol, which gathered defense ministers and chiefs of police from 190 countries, calling for greater international cooperation against organized crime.