Photo taken on Dec. 19, 2019 shows a view of a ministerial meeting in the new administrative capital of Egypt. The meetings of the 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security (STCDSS) wrapped up Thursday in Egypt's New Administrative Capital near Cairo. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
CAIRO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security (STCDSS) was closed in Egypt's new administrative capital near Cairo.
Lasting from Dec. 15 to 19, the event featured a series of meetings participated by experts, army chiefs of staff and ministers of defense of different levels.
Thursday's meeting was attended by African defense and security ministers and chaired by Egyptian Minister of Defense Lt. General Mohamed Zaki, the ministry said in a statement.
At the meeting, Smail Chergui, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, praised the discussions carried out during the STCDSS for their significance in promoting joint African action, resolving conflicts, as well as confronting violence, terrorism, organized crime and cross-border crimes.
Chergui also noted that the meetings addressed a number of important issues, notably the discussion of the African Union's efforts for Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020.
The Egyptian Defense Minister affirmed Egypt's aspiration for more military and security cooperation with other African countries to combat terrorism.
He called for adopting the Cairo Roadmap to enhance peacekeeping operations, stressing that the plan "is the nucleus of a unified African position in relation to international peacekeeping operations."
The STCDSS is an AU body tasked with promoting the continent's early warning system and the implementation of the joint African defense and security policy.
