Togo and France signed their third defense pact here on Friday, expecting a new level of cooperation in that aspect.
Togolese Foreign Minister Koffi Esaw and French Ambassador in Togo Dominique Renaux signed the pact on behalf of the two countries.Esaw hailed the signing of the latest accord, saying it will " contribute to the advent of a new type of partnership" between Togo and France.
Renaux praised Togo as the first country to sign a deal of its kind with France.
"I am particularly happy that Togo is today, among our partnerships concerned, the first country to conclude with France this accord of a new type," he said after the signing ceremony.
New arrangements have been made to adapt the French-Togolese military cooperation to "the state of the world of 2009" after nearly five decades of partnership, which needs to be upgraded, according to the French ambassador.
Togo had previously inked two defense pacts with France. Under the convention signed in 1958, Togo agreed to join the French forces deployed in the West African country to maintain public order. The two countries reached another defense agreement in 1963.
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