NATO reaffirms vital partnership with Mauritania

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana met with Defence Minister Hanana Ould Sidi of Mauritania at the military alliance’s headquarters on Tuesday to review the progress in NATO-Mauritanian relations. Geoana was quoted as saying, “Mauritania is a valued partner,” and noted that the alliance is “determined to step up our partnership further, including to strengthen Mauritania’s forces in the fight against terrorism.”

Mauritania, a long-standing NATO partner since joining the Mediterranean Dialogue partnership forum in 1995, has seen significant advancements in collaboration with NATO. The partnership has fostered growth in various domains such as special operations forces, maritime security intelligence, military career transition programmes, stockpile management of small arms and light weapons and military education.

DSG @Mircea_Geoana met with Defence Minister Hanana Ould Sidi of #Mauritania at #NATO HQ to take stock of developments in NATO-Mauritanian relations.

He highlighted that Mauritania is a valued partner and that Allies are determined to step up the partnership further.

— NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah (@NATOpress) May 29, 2024

Earlier this month, a group of independent experts appointed by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg published a report on NATO’s southern neighbourhood, recognising that “What happens in the region directly affects the security of the Euro-Atlantic region.” The goal is for the alliance to agree on measures to enhance NATO’s approach to this region in time for the NATO Summit in Washington in July.

NATO’s courtship of Mauritania mirrors parallel overtures by other great powers like China and regional powers in the Middle East. According to a report last year by Foreign Policy, Mauritania’s invitation to the June 2022 Madrid summit as a non-NATO partner fuelled speculation that a NATO base could be erected on its strategically valuable Atlantic coast.

“The expansion of NATO’s security cooperation with Mauritania is also driven by the desire of European countries to rein in illegal migration flows from the Sahel,” the report added.

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