(ANSA) - ROME, MARCH 29 - "Last year due to the outbreak of the pandemic this meeting could not take place, this year - also because it is the last of my mandate - I could not and did not want to do without it".
This was underlined by the president of the public, Sergio Mattarella, when he met a representation of the Italian Air Force at the Quirinale, on the occasion of the 98th anniversary of the foundation.
"98 years are a long time, they represent an important history. And it is an underlining of the important reality that the air force represents for the country. You are - said the head of the state - a great resource for the republic, in this difficult moment, marked by the pandemic, from anguish, from health, economic and social difficulties. You are committed at the forefront and you do it with professionalism and generosity, in all fields, the Air Force is a decisive reference for preserving and distributing the vaccine throughout the country. This serious commitment does not have in no way distracted the weapon from its institutional commitments. Finally, I wish to extend my best wishes to the tricolor arrows, one of the excellence and symbols of our country ". (HANDLE).