The Federal Government of France and the Government of Japan are working together to tackle the problem of terrorism and other security issues in the Sahel region.
Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Senegal, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania are among the nations that make up the Sahel area.
“We talked about cooperation with Japan to address the root cause of terrorism and instability in the Sahel region as well, as the issue of Boko Haram in North Eastern Nigeria.”
Following a two-day meeting in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed in a joint statement the outcomes of the discussions held with the delegation from Japan. The Japanese delegation, led by Ms Kamikawa Yoko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, engaged in fruitful deliberations with their Nigerian counterparts.
The statement added: “We agreed on the crucial need for all stakeholders to shore up efforts towards combatting the ugly menace of terrorism within the region.
“On her part, the Japanese Foreign Minister has assured of the continued support of her government towards ending the crisis within the regions.”
The statement revealed that the two nations held comparable opinions regarding the necessity of reforming the UN Security Council, ensuring a balanced geographical representation, achieving nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons, and stepping up support for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS).
Furthermore, they concurred that although Nigeria and Japan have strong economic ties, more needs to be done to boost trade between the two nations.
“We discussed the opportunities for investment in the Nigerian market, particularly in areas of Manufacturing, digital technology, solid minerals and capacity building.”
The statement revealed that both parties have decided to use the meeting’s results to ensure more substantial economic cooperation.
