(5 minutes read)
· U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Thomas Esper met with Tunisia’s president Tunisian President Kaïs Saied and Tunisian Defense Minister Brahim Bartagi
· Discussed wide ranging issues like defense, security and the fight against terrorism
· A ten-year Military partnership agreement was signed between Tunisia and the US, which covers assistance in training and after-sales service for sophisticated weapons to fight terrorism among others
· Esper is also visiting Algeria and Morocco.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Thomas Esper met with Tunisia’s president yesterday as a part of his North African tour. The visit comes in the midst of widespread lawlessness being reported from Libya, which is being closely monitored by the US. Libya ‘s geographical proximity with Tunisia has led to large scale infiltration of jihadis into its soil. The US Secretary of Defense discussed wide ranging issues like defense, security and the fight against terrorism. Being a close military ally, Washington is likely to reinforce the security surveillance in the sub-region.
Washington maintains close military cooperation with Tunisia particularly in training Tunisian forces and securing Tunisia’s southern border with Libya, with the help of an electronic surveillance system to prevent infiltration from Libya. Germany is also involved in the task of preventing infiltration. Instability in Libya is affecting the progress of the sub-region and international support is garnered to resolve the issue through consultations.
Esper also had a separate meeting with defense minister Bartagi and other high ranking officers in the Tunisian army, which led to signing of a “roadmap” tracing out bilateral military cooperation in the decade ahead.
According to media reports, Tunisia has given permission to the United States to operate drones from its territory for missions in Libya against the jihadist group of the Islamic State
Esper’s visit to Algeria is significant. He is the first defense secretary to visit Algeria in almost 15 years. However, the US military officials frequently visit Tunisia and Morocco, which have long standing defense cooperation with Washington. On the other hand, Algeria is an ally of Russia and China. Esper in Algeria was received by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune – who is also defense minister and head of the armed forces. Algeria is trying to reactivate its role on the regional diplomatic scene, including as a mediator in the conflicts in Mali and Libya.
