On Thursday, the 20th meeting of the ‘5+5 Defense’ initiative took place in the Spanish capital, Madrid, with the participation of the defense ministers and heads of delegation of the member countries.
At the end of the meeting, it was announced that Tunisia would take over from Spain as chair of the initiative in 2025.
Minister of National Defense, Khaled Shili, welcomed the results of the initiative’s activities in the fields of training, education and maritime surveillance.
These have provided an opportunity to exchange expertise, contributed to the transfer of knowledge and experience, and strengthened the joint operational activities of the armed forces of the member countries,” he said.
According to a Ministry of Defense press release, Shili stressed Tunisia’s commitment to continue supporting and strengthening the initiative.
Tunisia, he continued, called for further strengthening of coordination and cooperation between member countries on many issues of common interest, such as irregular migration, cyber security, maritime security and search and rescue operations.
Once again, it is counting on a collective commitment to ensure the sustainability of the initiative as the most appropriate framework to promote exchanges and understanding between the various partners.
On the occasion of Tunisia’s assumption of the presidency of the “5+5 Defense” initiative in 2025, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of this initiative, the Minister proposed the organization of a forum in Tunisia on the theme “The 5+5 Defense Initiative: Reality and Future Prospects’. This activity will be added to the list of activities included in the action plan agreed for next year.
The results of the Forum will be used to determine the future direction of the Initiative’s activities.
In the margins of this 20th meeting, the Defense Minister held talks with a number of his counterparts, including Spanish Minister Margarita Robles.
What is the 5+5 Defense Initiative?
The 5+5 Defense Initiative is the security component of the 5+5 Dialogue launched in 1990. It is a forum for multilateral cooperation between the two sides of the Western Mediterranean.
Launched in 2004 at the initiative of France, the 5+5 Defense Initiative is a unique framework for promoting mutual understanding of the security challenges facing the 5+5, bringing together the 5 countries on the northern shore of the Mediterranean (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Malta) and the 5 countries on the southern shore (Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya) and providing for high-level meetings (ECS, Defense Ministers).
In liaison with the ministry’s staff, directorates and departments, as well as the minister’s office, DGRIS is responsible for managing the 5+5 defense initiative on behalf of the French delegation.
In this initiative, France is “driven by the desire to maintain investment in the region’s strategic issues, to support the operationalization of exchanges and to make the annual meetings permanent”.
This regional cooperation is based on the following pillars: maritime security and surveillance, air safety, the contribution of armed forces to civil protection, and training and research.
