During a meeting with Tunisian Defense Minister Ghazi Jeribi at the Pentagon today, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel congratulated his counterpart for the successful parliamentary elections underway in Tunisia and praised the vote as an important model for the region, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
In a statement summarizing the meeting, Kirby said the two defense leaders followed up on previous bilateral Joint Military Commission discussions held in Tunis in May.
“Minister Jeribi and Secretary Hagel discussed ways in which the U.S. and Tunisia could cooperate in fighting terrorism, given continuing instability in the region,” the admiral said.
Regional Concern About Foreign Fighters
The two leaders also discussed the growing regional concern over foreign fighters from North Africa moving to Iraq and Syria, Kirby said, as well as the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other al-Qaida splinter groups emerging in Africa.
Jeribi thanked the United States for ongoing security cooperation programs, and Hagel underscored the strong U.S. commitment for continued support to Tunisia, the press secretary said.