Lt. General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of UAE Armed Forces, received on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi Lt. General Claudio Graziano, Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, who is on a current visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

During the meeting, the two sides discussed matters of common interest and ways of bolstering aspects of cooperation and promoting them, particularly in the field of military coordination and defense cooperation and exchange of expertise.

A number of senior UAE military officers and members of the Italian military delegation attended Wednesday's meeting.

General Claudio Graziano (born 22 November 1953) is a former Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), serving in the position between 2007-2010.

On 6 December 2011, Graziano became the Chief of the Army General Staff of the Italian Army.

Source: WAM