|
Djibouti hails Saudi military presence
[PRESSTV] Djibouti’s Defense Minister Ali Bahdon has welcomed the establishment of a Saudi military base on the soil of the African country, saying Djibouti-Riyadh relations are not confined to military cooperation.In an interview with the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, the transcript of which was published in the UK-based daily on Tuesday, Bahdon said that Saudi experts had already arrived in Djibouti to assess military cooperation. "The sides have signed a military agreement [in April]... If the base is constructed, it will become a part of the military cooperation between the two nations, and we welcome its creation," he said, adding that trainees and students from Djibouti were studying in military colleges in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... Bahdon further said the facility would contribute to the military cooperation between the two countries, noting that the bilateral relations exceeded military cooperation to reach historical, ideological and cultural ties. "There are historical, ideological and cultural relations with the kingdom, and we are one people who share the same values, and we have the same issues and problems; relations are much greater now, as we are in a new phase of geopolitical changes in the region," Bahdon went on to say. According to the minister, the base would not be a solution to the problem of smuggling across the sea, as "it has limits in which it operates and powers that serve specific goals." Late last year, Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf announced that his country would welcome the Saudi proposal of setting up a military base in the African country, saying Saudi military authorities had made several investigative trips to his country for the establishment of a facility there. Posted by: Fred 2017-11-29 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=502655 |