Joint communiqué following the official visit of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to Mauritania
MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from English to French – Published 04 July 2018
Section: International, development and francophonie
Only the date is authentic1st and 2 July 2018
At the invitation of His Excellency the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, His Excellency Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, the President of the French Republic, His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, paid an official visit to Mauritania on 2 and 3 July 2018. The French Head of State was accompanied by the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Jean-Yves Le Drian and the Minister of the Armed Forces, Her Excellency Florence Parly. At the same time, President Emmanuel Macron was invited by President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, by the current Chairperson of the African Union, His Excellency Mr. Paul Kagame and by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, His Excellency Mr. Moussa Faki, addressing the Heads of State and Government participating in the 31st African Union Summit.
This exchange took place on the occasion of the July 2 lunch on "peace and security" in Africa. The French Head of State reiterated France's support for the African Union's initiative to provide autonomous and predictable funding for African military operations. The French Head of State was then invited by his Mauritanian counterpart and by His Excellency the President of Niger, Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou, current Chairman of G5 Sahel, to the meeting of the G5 Sahel member countries. This meeting, which was held at the premises of the G5 Sahel Defense College, in which senior officers called to occupy command posts in the G5 Sahel Joint Force will be trained, provided an update on progress of the Joint Force, particularly with a view to its full operationalization and the realization of international support.
On this occasion, the two Presidents Mauritanian and French renewed their call for a rapid implementation of international support to the joint force. After a face-to-face meeting, the two presidents agreed to strengthen the already rich bilateral partnership between France and Mauritania, which supports many public policies: health, education and higher education, decentralization , renewable energy, water and sanitation, infrastructure, governance, development, etc.
The two Heads of State noted with satisfaction the fact that their bilateral cooperation is reflected in areas of excellence where Mauritania can serve as a referent on the regional and international scene, such as the renewable energy sector, which is consistent with their joint commitment, in the framework of COP 21, to fight against climate change. The two presidents are pleased that many of these interventions are fully in line with the objectives of the Sahel Alliance, promoted by several technical and financial partners and the Sahel countries, for the benefit of southern regions of Mauritania. and from the east of the country. The President of the French Republic, His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, commended Mauritania's efforts and the concrete results it has achieved for its development and also for the
secure its vast territory, as well as for the implementation of the comprehensive approach it adopts in the fight against violent extremism. A multifaceted approach that includes: the fight against terrorism through the defense of its borders and the action of its internal security forces but also its contribution to the joint G5 Sahel Force; the determination against cross-border crime including drug trafficking – which contributes to the financing of terrorism; defining policies to prevent extremism; the implementation of development actions to meet the basic needs of the population; finally, a reaffirmed presence of the State and its services throughout the territory. This tête-à-tête between the two French and Mauritanian leaders, which took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere and was followed by several talks, in particular between the French Minister Mr. Le Drian and his Mauritanian counterpart, His Excellency Mr. Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed, Minister Ms. Parly and her Mauritanian counterpart, His Excellency Diallo Mamadou Bathia before the extended meeting between the French delegation and several members of the Mauritanian Government, was an opportunity to reaffirm that Mauritania and France are strategic partners for each other, and this for a long time, whether in the field of regional security but also in the field of economy and development. On this occasion, three financing agreements of the French Development Agency (AFD) for a total amount of 19,650,000 euros, equivalent to 815,500,000 UM, were signed by, on the one hand, the Mauritanian Minister of Economy and Finance, His Excellency Mr. El Moctar Ould Djay and, on the other hand, His Excellency Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Director General of the AFD, in favor of education and vocational training as well as food security, in particular by the rehabilitation of irrigated perimeters in rural areas. The two Presidents agree that higher education is a privileged field of cooperation and, to this end, France intends to continue its support to Mauritania in its process of setting up preparatory programs for the great French engineering schools of France and Maghreb. At the same time, a project is being implemented to promote the employability of students through the mastery of Arabic and French languages, in particular with French and Mauritanian universities.
The two Presidents gave the necessary instructions to reinforce the Mauritanian and French private sectors in their rapprochement, in the spirit of a win-win partnership, particularly in the hydrocarbons sector. In this regard, the two Heads of State welcome the conclusion between the Total Group and the Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Mines of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for the Exploration and Development of Potentialities off-shore in Mauritania. French and Mauritanian companies can also help Mauritania to play a pivotal role in strengthening regional economic integration. In this context, the next MEDEF French mission to Nouakchott is to be welcomed in July, in partnership with the Mauritanian Employers' Union. Both parties note that new private provisions and initiatives to encourage public-private partnership are also an opportunity to strengthen economic ties. The event organized on 2 July by the young Chamber of Commerce of Mauritania in the presence of members of the Presidential Council for Africa who accompanied the French President, also demonstrated the role of young Mauritanian entrepreneurs, especially young women, in the future of the economic relationship between our two friendly countries.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is a translation. Please accept our apologies should the grammar and / or sentence structure not be perfect.