Liberian Defense boss, Major General Daniel D. Ziankahn, Jr., (Rtd.), has called for reinforced relationship between the French Defense sector and its Liberian counterpart.
He said, despite cordial working relationship between the two sectors, it will be more beneficiary to the Liberian defense sector if the two sectors can reinforce the existing relationship to enable them to deal with emerging threats, such as piracy and terrorism.
Minister Ziankahn assured the French delegation of Liberia’s commitment in working along with the government of France and learning from its maritime expertise, which continues to benefit the Coast Guard and staffs of the Ministry of National Defense.
Minister Ziankahn lauded the government of France for its valuable services rendered to the Liberian government, especially the training of personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the Ministry of National Defense, by extension.
He lauded the French defense sector for their participation in the AFL pre-deployment training for peacekeeping operation in Mali, emphasizing that it has benefited the AFL in more ways, such as lessening the fatality rate of Liberian troops deployed in Mali.
The Liberian defense chief expressed satisfaction over the impact of maritime training on the Liberian Coast Guard.
The Defense Minister made these remarks when France Ambassador accredited to Liberia, H.E. Michaël Roux, and Defense Attaché (resident in Abidjan), Colonel Xavier Clochard, paid him a courtesy visit at his Barclay Training Center (BTC) office on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
For his part, H.E. Michaël Roux said, “It is the interest of the French Government that the relationship with Liberia is reinforced.”
Ambassador Roux revealed that Liberia needs to have more French-speaking officers to further enhance their relationship with officers of neighboring countries during joint operation. The French envoy urged the Ministry of National Defense to take advantage of training opportunities at Alliance Française, which will enable soldiers of the AFL to learn the French language.
Also making remarks, Colonel Xavier Clochard said his government’s interests are in the areas of training for MINUSMA, maritime training, French training and research and development (R&D).
He informed Minister Ziankahn that personnel of the defense sector stand to benefit from trainings that are tailored to meet reality regarding emerging threats, especially in the area of intelligence gathering and sharing.