Chairman of NATO Military Committee Visits Tunisia

29 Jan. 2016 16:19

General Petr Pavel stressed NATO’s commitment to Tunisia and welcomed the opportunity to discuss further practical military cooperation during his visit two-day visit to Tunis (27-28 January 2016). After meeting with Brigadier General Ismail Fathalli, Chief of Staff of the Tunisian Armed Forces and the Tunisian Minister of National Defence, Mr. Farhat Horchani, the Chairman commended Tunisia on its efforts to increase interoperability with NATO and its active participation in the Mediterranean Dialogue.

Speaking with Brigadier General Taoufik Rahomouni, General Pavel expressed NATO’s commitment to continue to work together with Tunisia to increase their defence capabilities and to fight terrorism. “It is by working with Nations such as Tunisia that NATO has built a broad cooperative security network. Our partnerships play a crucial role in the promotion of international peace and security”, said the Chairman.

During his visit, General Pavel had the opportunity of attending a working session with the members of the Monitoring Committee of Peace and Security in the Mediterranean. This inter-service (Army, Air Force, Navy) Committee is tasked with coordinating on security issues.  Attending the session allowed for the Chairman to get first-hand insight into the national and regional security challenges.

Tunisian representatives expressed concern about the situation in Libya and the consequences for Tunisia and the North Africa region.  They confirmed their interest in further practical military cooperation with NATO.

Tunisia is a member of the Mediterranean Dialogue which was initiated in 1994 by the North Atlantic Council. It currently involves seven non-NATO countries of the Mediterranean region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.