Gaza city: Central African Republic: Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin-Archange Touadera on Wednesday expressed his desire to open a drone training center jointly with Russia.
According to Anadolu Agency - English, in an interview with Russian state news agency Tass, Touadera highlighted that cooperation between the CAR and Russia dates back to the 1960s, but noted it has 'significantly deepened and strengthened' in recent years. Touadera expressed gratitude to the Russian Federation for this cooperation, which includes the training of the country's defense and security forces.
Touadera described the bilateral military-technical cooperation as 'strategic in nature,' and stated that the work of Russian military instructors in the CAR is progressing 'successfully and productively.' He further mentioned that increasing the number of Russian military instructors in his country is a 'very specific and sensitive' issue in the context of bilateral cooperation, but confirmed that negotiations are ongoing with Russia on the topic.
Touadera emphasized the CAR's aim to create a professional army and the necessity to prepare for 'any type of attack,' which requires adapting their forces to 'existing threats.' He noted the importance of drones as a widely used weapon and expressed a desire for the Central African army to be equipped for both piloting drones and defending against them. Establishing a drone training center jointly with Moscow and potentially purchasing Russian weapons were also discussed, contingent on the state's resources and cooperation with Russia.
Touadera also addressed the relations with France, noting that while their ties were 'quite tense,' personal efforts by him and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have led to a roadmap to establish 'clear rules and improve cooperation.' He affirmed that relations are developing successfully with respect for CAR's sovereignty and emphasized the country's commitment to making sovereign decisions in its interests.
Touadera's remarks follow his victory in securing a third term as CAR president, with provisional results from the National Electoral Authority showing he won 76.15% of the vote in last month's elections.