According to the UK's Ministry of Defence, Italy is one of the UK's key operational partners in Europe. Speaking after his meeting with Martino, Reid said:
"The recent events in Basrah demonstrate that one of the greatest challenges we face is building a police force that treats all citizens equally. The Carabinieri are well placed to provide this essential capability. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to visit one of our key European operational partners. Italy continues to make an extremely valuable contribution to security and stability in Iraq.
