FRANCE has pledged to cooperate with the Federal Government in the concerted fight against terror. Visiting French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Alain Juppe gave the pledge yesterday while conferring with his Nigerian counterpart ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru. He also called on all nations of goodwill to join the global war on terror. Nigeria is a major trade partner of France in Africa. French companies currently invest over 2 billion Euros annually in Nigeria. The volume of trade between the two countries has now reached 4.5 billion Euros. . “France is Nigeria’s fourth largest supplier and our exports are growing by 20 per cent yearly. In addition, France invests 2 billion Euros per year in Nigeria. I am going to encourage trade, businessmen and investors to come over to Nigeria,” Jupe who jointly addressed the media with Ashiru yesterday in Abuja, said. The French Minister, who is on a three-day working visit to the country, condemned the Boko Haram insurgency in some parts of the country and expressed the willingness of the French government to partner with Nigeria in dealing with its security challenges. . The French envoy, who noted that his country also faced terror threats at home and abroad, said France was prepared to work, not only with Nigeria but also, with the entire West African sub-region. . On the specifics of the kind of assistance his country would be offering Nigeria, Juppe said it was in the area of “intelligence and training” for security personnel, among others. According to him, “France is directly concerned with the question of terrorism we receive threats often. . Earlier, Ashiru said Juppe’s visit was indicative of the fact that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, Nigeria is safe for investment.
source: ngrguardiannews.com
