By Murat Unlu
PARIS (AA) – France and Nigeria have signed a new military cooperation agreement, which includes intelligence sharing and joint operations, according to the French Defense Ministry.
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Nigerian Defense Minister Mansur Dan Ali signed the agreement in Paris on Thursday, which calls for closer military cooperation plus strengthening the fight against the terrorist organization Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.
Since December 2014, the two countries have been working more closely together, in particular to combat Boko Haram militants.
According to the agreement, France will share intelligence information that will be collected from its aircraft based at the N’djamena base.
According to Nigeria local media, Ali said: “Nigeria is signing the agreement because it [terrorism] is a global threat, therefore, most countries of the world at this time are uniting to fight it with a view to restoring the shared values of peace and tolerance for development.”
Le Drian also said his country’s primary aim was to “fight against terrorism and particularly against Boko Haram.”
The agreement also includes maritime security and countering piracy in the Gulf of Guinea off Nigeria’s oil-rich south.
On April 11, the private Turkish tanker Puli, a merchant vessel, designed to transport liquids or gases in bulk, was seized by Nigerian pirate gangs along with six Turkish crew members.
The French media also said that an upcoming regional security summit, scheduled to take place in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on May 14, would see the attendance of French president as well as representatives from Britain and the United States.
*Anadolu Agency Correspondent Hatice Kesgin contributed to this story from Ankara.
