French Defence minister visits CAR

Paris, France (PANA) - Florence Parly, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, is due in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Monday to witness France's takeover of the EUTM-RCA Mission and demonstrate the European Union's and French support to the improvement of the CAR's armed forces, PANA learned from official sources in Paris. Parly will also meet with CAR's President, Faustin Archange Touadra, and his counterpart, Marie Koyara, to discuss the security situation and the efforts of the international community to deal with it under the auspices of the United Nations and African Union, said a statement from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. The exchanges between the French official and the Central African authorities will focus on the steps taken by France to the UN to lessen the arms embargo and facilitate the equipment of the Central African armed forces to enable it restore the authority of the Central African State across the country. "Our bilateral military aid will discussed as France's military commitment is significant: 300 French soldiers are currently deployed in the Central African Republic, within the EUTM-RCA, of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) or other cooperation missions," the statement said. Over the past year, the document said, EUTM-RCA soldiers have been training an amphibious battalion, as well as training in close combat, shooting and in international humanitarian law. The European Union, apart from the Central African Republic, deploys soldiers in several African countries (Mali, Somalia) to participate in the training of the armed forces of these countries. -0- PANA BM/JSG/KND/VAO 8July2019