“I confirm the government’s intention to put the finishing touches on this important contract as soon as possible,” Monti said on Sunday, Reuters reported.
The Italian premier, who is on a visit to Israel, made the remarks after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.
On February 16, Israeli officials said Tel Aviv had reached a “one-billion-dollar preliminary” agreement with Italy to buy 30 M-346 Master training jets from the partly-state-owned Italian defense and aerospace firm Finmeccanica’s Alenia Aermacchi.
The deal would lead to a “leap of quality” in industrial relations between Rome and Tel Aviv, Monti added.
On February 26, meanwhile, Israeli military officials said the Tel Aviv regime plans to sign a major arms deal with Azerbaijan.
The officials added that the Israeli Aerospace Industries will sell “drones, anti-aircraft and missile defense systems worth $1.6 billion” to Azerbaijan.
The developments come as according to a recent policy paper published by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Tel Aviv uses weapons and ammunition at its disposal to kill the defenseless Palestinians.
In a speech on March 11, Netanyahu stressed that Israel will continue airstrikes against the besieged Gaza Strip “as long as necessary.”
MAB/AS/HN