From Molly Kilete, Abuja
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, said the Nigerian Armed Forces would continue to partner with the Egyptian Armed Forces for training opportunities of it’s special forces, medical personnel, Air defence systems capabilities and engineering, among others.
Irabor made the disclosure at the opening of the Second Conference on Military Cooperation between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the Armed Forces of Egypt, taking place at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.
The Egyptian delegation is being led by the Assistant Minister of Defence of Egypt, Major General Mohammed El Dein Hassan.
The CDS, while noting that the Egyptian military has vast experiences in the fight against terrorists in the Sinai and the Magreb region, said the Defence headquarters was looking forward to more training opportunities with Egypt in the areas of equipment maintenance, counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED), maintenance and border security, among other areas of interest.
Represented by the Chief of Defence, Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal Ayo Jolasimi, at the occasion, the CDS, while listing some of the issues discussed during the first conference held in Egypt, in 2021, expressed the hope that the meeting in Abuja would finalise all the agreement for the benefit of the two countries.
“Four of the items which involved training and collaboration were to take place in Egypt, while three items were to take place in Nigeria.
“Among the four are the training for special forces, air defence operations, collaboration towards making the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria archive its mandate and military museums.
The CDS, while commending the existing relationship between the two armed forces, said, “so far, we expect further collaboration in other areas like medical, counter IEDs, equipment maintenance, border security and engineering support services.
“And as the talks progress, any other issue relevant shall be put on the table, including intelligence training.”