Jan. 31 – The Italian Defense Minister, Mario Mauro, and the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Jean Pierre Mazery, signed a new cooperation agreement to “reinforce the strong bond that unites us and confirm the importance of collaboration between the two institutions,” said Mauro, wanting to emphasize the importance of the Convention signed in Palazzo Baracchini. The agreement covers the legal status, recruitment, advancement, remuneration, mobilization and deployment of Special Corps volunteer staff, auxiliary of the Italian Army, and the Association of Italian Knights of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Updated to the new structure of the Italian Armed Forces, the agreement represents a tool for more efficient action within the Military Corps of the Knights of Malta. Among others, the Secretary of State for Defense, Roberta Pinotti, the Secretary General of Defense, Enzo Stefanini, the Chief of Army Staff, General Claudio Graziano, were present at the signing of the Convention. “Today – said the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Jean Pierre Mazery – we renewed the relationship between the Order of Malta and the Italian State – a relationship that has lasted for 130 years.”
