The agreement was signed yesterday in Yaounde by Defence Minister and Russian Deputy Director of Technical and Military Cooperation.

The Republic of Cameroon and the Federal Republic of Russia have intensified bilateral cooperation by signing a technical and military accord. The accord was signed yesterday April 15, 2015, in Yaounde by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo’o (Cameroon) and the Deputy Director of Technical and Military Service at the Russian Presidency, General Anatoly Punchuk in the presence of the Russian Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E Nikolay Ratsiborinsky and the Defence Chief of Staff of the Cameroonian Army, Lieutenant General René Claude Meka alongside a host of superior military personnel.

The signing ceremony done in a typical military fashion was void of speeches but Cameroon Tribune gathered that the accord is in the domain of procurement of state-of-the-art military equipment, maintenance and the transfer of technology through training of Cameroonian military personnel. Russia, it should be recalled, is one of the world’s leading countries in military power and prides itself with high technology which is necessary for an Army under construction.

Russia’s veto power at the UN Security Council also makes her a reliable partner in the domain of military cooperation. The Russian Ambassador to Cameroon had announced a few months ago, his country’s engagement to support Cameroon with second- generation military artillery and humanitarian aid to refugees and internally displaced persons affected by terrorist attacks.   

Yesterday’s technical and military accord between both countries falls within the framework of President Paul Biya’s vision to modernise the Army and equip it with up-to-date materials as contained in the 2001 Reforms in the Ministry of Defence. Several gifts of souvenirs were exchanged between the Cameroonian delegation and the visiting Russian team comprised of technical and military cooperation experts who on Tuesday April 14, held talks with their Cameroonian counterparts.