Iran Djibouti Deal
Iran and Djibouti have come together to agree steps to boost mutual cooperation in naval fields, including training the Djiboutian army.
The call for mutual cooperation was raised by visiting Djiboutian Army’s Joint Chief-of-Staff Fathi Ahmad Hossein in a meeting with Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.
The two sides agreed to cooperate in counterterrorism, fighting against smugglers and pirates in the Gulf of Aden as well as ship repair and maintenance
The Djiboutian top military commander pointed to the dispatch of the Iranian fleets of warships to the Gulf of Aden, and said, “The Iranian Navy can render cooperation to Djibouti in personnel training, ship guarding and protection, logistic affairs and naval equipments.”
Rear Admiral Sayyari, for his part, said the Iranian Navy is ready to cooperate with the Republic of Djibouti in antipiracy efforts.
Elsewhere, Sayyari also met with the Djiboutian Navy Commander Abdurrahman.
At the meeting, Sayyari stressed that the Iranian Navy is ready to cooperate with Djibouti in establishing naval training camps, safeguarding territorial waters and coasts and providing security for fishers.
In December, Iranian and Djiboutian officials inked two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to boost mutual cooperation and bilateral ties between Iran and the East African state.
The MoUs were signed by the two countries’ high-ranking officials in a ceremony attended by Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi and visiting Djiboutian Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita Dileita here in Tehran.
Iran and the African state signed an MoU to encourage and support mutual investment and another MoU to establish a joint investment committee.
The two sides also issued a three-article joint declaration on bilateral ties as well as regional and international cooperation.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration has striven hard to maximize relations with the African continent. Ahmadinejad said after a three-nation African tour on February 23, 2009 which took him to Djibouti, Kenya and Comoros that expanding Tehran’s relations with the African countries sets a priority in Iran’s foreign policy.
