The Chairman of the European Union Military Committee visits EUTM Somalia HQ In Mogadishu

01/02/2015 EEAS

General Patrick de Rousiers, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee paid a visit to the Headquartes of the  European Union Training Mission in Somalia and attended meetings with the military leadership of Somalia and some international EUTM Somalia partners.

On 1 February, the Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC), Gen. Patrick de Rousiers accompanied by the Military Representatives to EUMC of Portugal, Lieutenant General Joao Luis Cordeiro, visited the European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) Headquarters in Mogadishu.

General de Rousiers and his delegation have been welcomed by the EUTM SOMALIA Mission Commander, Brigadier General Massimo Mingiardi, and his staff, which also provided a briefing on EUTM Somalia achievements since the Chairman last visit to the Mission in April 2015, and an overview of the situation in Somalia.

In the morning, General de Rousiers met Ambassador Michele Cervone D’Urso, EU Special Envoy for Somalia, for an exchange of view on the Mission, and then, accompanied by his delegation, General Mingiardi, and a party from EUTM Somalia, visited the Somali Defence General Staff in Gashandiga, where during a meeting  with the Senior National Advisor to the President, Mr. Abdirahman Sheik Issa, the Chief of Defence Forces, General Dahir Elmi, the Deputy Chief of Defense Forces, Brigadier General Abdirizakh Elmi, the Commander of the Somali Navy, Admiral Madeey Nur Ufurow, the Somali Chief of the Air Force, General Mohamed Sheikh Ali, and the Advisor to the CDF, General Sheik Sala, for an exchange of views and an update on the situation.

The activities included a visit to Jazeera Training Camp, to the infrastructures of EUTM Somalia in the International Campus within the Mogadishu International Airport, during which the EUMC Chairman met EUTM personnel.

The official meetings continued with briefings provided by other key partners in Somalia such as the United States CJTF for the Horn of Africa Military Coordination Cell (MCC), and the United Kingdom Military Support Team (MST).