Abuja: Nigeria and the State of Israel have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in key areas, including counter-terrorism, intelligence, information sharing, security financing, and training.
Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and her Israeli counterpart, Sharren Haskel-Harpaz, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued this in a joint communiqué, following a high-level political meeting held on Monday in Abuja.
According to the communiqué issued by Dr Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, the meeting reflected the enduring and strategic partnership between both nations.
The discussions focused on critical multilateral issues such as global security, counter-terrorism, and bilateral political and economic cooperation.
Both ministers endorsed the exchange of valuable ideas and initiatives that emerged during the dialogue. They expressed concern over the global threat of insecurity and terrorism, emphasising that such challenges required unified international cooperation and support.
Highlighting specific security concerns, both parties stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation in intelligence gathering, information sharing, particularly regarding terror financing, and the need for advanced security training.
The ministers also underscored the need for stronger collaboration on multilateral platforms, including mutual solidarity on issues of national and international significance to both countries.
Beyond security, the meeting explored a wide range of areas for cooperation, including technology and innovation for border management, capacity building, cultural exchange, tourism, agriculture, and matters related to consular and immigration services.
To promote continued engagement, both nations agreed to facilitate exchange programmes and study tours and committed to establishing a more robust bilateral framework to ensure sustained dialogue and collaboration in the future.
The political dialogue also featured a technical session co-chaired by Amb. Janet Olisa, Director of Regions at Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Amb. Sharon Bar-Li, Deputy Director-General and Head of the Africa Division at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, co-chaired the session on behalf of the State of Israel.