ALGIERS- General Saïd Chanegriha, the chief of Staff of the People’s National Army, received in audience Friday, in Algiers, the minister of the French Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, accompanied by General Thierry Burkhard, the chief of French Army Staff, on the sidelines of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Algeria, the ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
communiqué du ministère de la Défense nationale (MDN).
The welcoming ceremony, which took place at the headquarters of the ANP General Staff, began with the salute of the national emblem and the presentation of military honours to the host, by formations from the various ANP Forces.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary General of the DND, the Commanders of Forces and the National Gendarmerie, General Officers of the DND (MDN) and the General Staff of the ANP, as well as members of the French military delegation, said the same source.
After welcoming the French delegation, Army General Said Chanegriha highlighted, during this meeting, that this visit will be “a pivotal step in the process of mutual understanding between the two parties, instilled by the political will of the Presidents of the two countries”.
Insérer Photo Chengriha2
“First of all, I would like to welcome you to the headquarters of the ANP General Staff and to the august delegation accompanying you, while hoping that your visit will be profitable and fruitful. This visit will allow us to exchange, in a frank and pragmatic way, our points of view on current issues, as well as issues of common interest to both parties. Indeed, these issues have more evolved in recent years, and this, in view of the expansion of the terrorist threat in Africa, in general, and in particular, in the Sahelo-Saharan space , “said the Army General.
“The evolution of this threat has also increased cross-border organized crime, of which drug and arms trafficking, trafficking in human beings and smuggling, are the main criminal activities, proliferating in collusion with terrorist organizations,”he added, before noting “the interest of both parties to preserve and consolidate the achievements in the Western Mediterranean, in terms of maritime security, including the efforts made in the field of bilateral cooperation to raise it to the expected level”.
With a view to diversifying bilateral cooperation activities, the Army General proposed to conduct “a joint reflection, in order to stop the opportunities offered, within the framework of a renewed cooperation agreement”: “With regard to the diversification of the activities of our bilateral cooperation, I propose to conduct a joint reflection, in order to stop the opportunities offered and the most appropriate areas for their concretization”.
“As such,” he said, “this dynamic would benefit more from being included in the framework of a renewed cooperation agreement, which will define the objectives to be achieved in this area and mark the process of the practical dimension that will be determined by the experts of both parties.”
For his part, Lecornu praised “the important and pivotal role” of Algeria in the region, stressing that he is ready to “promote bilateral military cooperation at its expected level”.
At the end of the meeting, the two parties exchanged symbolic gifts, before the Minister of the French Armed Forces proceeded to the signing of the guest book of the General Staff of the ANP, concludes the statement of the MDN.
APS – 26 août 2022
Traduit du français par Oussa Nam
