Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with his Chilean counterpart, Defense Minister Baldo Prokurica, in Tel Aviv on Thursday, as well as with the Chilean Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Javier Iturriaga del Campo. The two ministers “reiterated the strong relations between our countries and discussed areas of defense cooperation,” said a statement by Gantz. He added that “we have signed an MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] that sets the foundation for fruitful collaboration between our defense establishments and look forward to further expanding our exchanges.” On Wednesday, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi met with the visiting senior Chilean defense officials at the Israeli military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv. They were joined by Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, head of the IDF’s International Cooperation Division.
“The senior officials discussed challenges shared by the two countries,” the IDF said in a statement.
During the meeting, Kochavi noted that “the long-standing friendship between the State of Israel and the IDF with Chile and its military is another pillar of our national security. We will continue to strengthen the bond between our two militaries through both joint learning forums and training exercises.”
