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Saudi Arabia, Mauritania sign military deal

January 5, 2017 at 12:59 am

Saudi Arabia and Mauritania on Wednesday inked a landmark military agreement, a statement by the Mauritanian Defence Ministry revealed.

The deal was signed at the ministry’s headquarters in capital Nouakchott by Mauritanian Defence Minister Diallo Mamadou Bhatia and the Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Ayash, according to Istanbul-based Anadolu Agency.

According to a ministry statement, the agreement stipulated on a joint cooperation in various military fields, including military training and information and logistical exchanges between the two signatories. The deal also included stepping up the cooperation in the military and medical fields.

The agreement is planned to establish a new era of military cooperation between Nouakchott and Riyadh. It aims to develop military skills and expertise of the two countries, according to the statement.

In a speech delivered at a signing ceremony, Bhatia said the agreement embodied the two countries’ “solid relations”.

On Tuesday, a high-ranking Saudi military delegation led by Al-Ayash arrived in Mauritania for an official visit, during which delegation members met with their Mauritanian counterparts.

Last September, the Saudi Council of Ministers approved to hold talks with the Mauritanian government over a military cooperation agreement between the two countries.

The Saudi government had delegated the Defence Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al-Saud to lead the talks with the Mauritanian side.