Africa, EU 5+5 Defense Initiative discuss cooperation

Senior army chiefs from the 5+5 Defense Initiative have agreed on the necessity to further enhance cooperation and better share experiences mainly on how to combat terrorism, the French Defense Ministry said on Monday.
The 5+5 Defense Initiative includes five Maghreb countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Mauritania, and five EU countries: France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Malta.
Delegations from the initiative gathered in French capital on March 14 to assess the progress of the Mediterranean initiative on defense issue, the French ministry said.
During two-day meeting, they “highlighted the importance of exchanges of experience in a climate of confidence and mutual understanding,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The participants also discussed “current security context requires common efforts to face threats concerning the 5+5 area, including terrorism and cross-border trafficking,” the ministry said.