EUNAVFOR MED OPERATION IRINI

On the 2^nd of April, Rear Admiral Valentino RINALDI, EUNAVFOR MED IRINI Operation Commander (OPCDR), had the privilege of receiving at the Operational Headquarters (OHQ) in Rome the official visit of the President of the Republic of Estonia, H.E. Alar KARIS, accompanied by the Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to Italy, H.E. Lauri BAMBUS, and a high-level delegation.

The President H.E. KARIS had the opportunity to greet a selection of staff from the 23 Member States contributing to Operation IRINI, addressing words of deep appreciation for their great commitment and significant work done. During the visit, Rear Admiral RINALDI offered a thorough explanation of the State of Play and future plans for the Operation. He mentioned the recent EU Council Decision, which approved the two-year renewal of the Operation, extending its mandate until March 2027 and adding the new relevant task of contributing to the Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) in the area of operations in order to protect EU interests, with a particular focus on critical underwater infrastructure.In addition, the high-level delegation was able to observe the concrete activities carried out 24/7 by the OHQ staff, both in the planning and execution of the functions assigned to the branches, as well as in the constant updating of the Maritime Situational Awareness and the monitoring of the area of interest to support the OPCDR decisions and the deployment of naval and air assets.The visit of the President of the Republic of Estonia was a unique opportunity to present the results achieved by the Operation and its future developments, underlining that EUNAVFOR MED IRINI is today the most ready and effective tool for defending the EU’s interests in the Mediterranean, able to count on the strong political-diplomatic support of the contributing Member States, the effectiveness of its OPERATIONAL HQ in Rome and the capabilities of its naval and air assets in the area of operations.