NATO
October 17, 2022

Seventh round of military-to-military staff talks with the African Union

On 17-18 October 2022, NATO’s Cooperative Security division, under the auspice of its Director, Major General Francesco Diella, welcomed a delegation from the African union for military-to-military talks. Discussions focused on readiness, education and training, participation in exercises as well as capacity building and gender mainstreaming.

IMS meeting African Union

Opening the meeting, Major General Francesco Diella, Director of the Cooperative Security division, welcomed Lieutenant General Antonio Lamas Xavier, head of the African Union (AU) delegation and his staff to the 7th edition of the NATO-AU talks. “Building on NATO’s new Strategic Concept, this meeting is an opportunity to take forward the guidance issued at the Madrid Summit to increase cooperation with our Partners, including international organisations, like the African Union. By working together, we can continue to explore common solutions to common challenges, while developing new opportunities for NATO and AU forces to participate jointly in exercises”, he highlighted.

Both delegations then engaged in discussions on readiness, especially in regards to organizing the African Standby Force. “NATO has stepped up its deterrence and defence efforts across all domains. On land, we are deploying more substantial and combat-ready forces, while improving our readiness and our ability to reinforce as and when required…,” added Major General Diella.

The discussions also focused on operational, logistical, capacity-building and support to the African Union…through exercises…and training. “…We are always delighted to welcome AU personnel at our school in Oberammergau or the NATO Defense College, this is not just an opportunity to inform them about NATO but also allows us to engage in a constructive exchange about security and defence”, noted the Director. Another crucial area of NATO support to the African Union is the strategic air and sealift.

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The last military-to-military staff talks were held on 14-15 May 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia….“Hopefully, we can resume the annual cadence of our mil-to-mil talks. NATO remains fully committed to expanding its relationship from support to cooperation with the AU, especially in efforts to tackle security challenges at NATO’s borders”, concluded Major General Diella.

Photo: NATO