The Mauritanian defense minister and his Czech counterpart have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in military training, defense technologies, and special forces and peacekeeping training.
It includes provisions for sharing Czech expertise when needed and mutual visits, according to intelligence website Groupe ADIT. The deal also enables intelligence sharing and counterterrorism and cybersecurity cooperation. The countries will collaborate on protection against chemical, radiological, nuclear and cyber threats, ADIT reported.
The pact solidifies Czechia’s commitment to training Mauritania’s armed forces for two years. The collaboration, supported by NATO, builds on a growing relationship that Czech President Petr Pavel initiated with his historic visit to Mauritania in April 2025. During that visit, Pavel emphasized Mauritania’s strategic role in ensuring regional stability and European security, saying the country is a key element in stopping terrorist threats and cross-border trafficking, the African Press Agency reported.
Beyond security, the Czech Republic also wants to increase its economic footprint in Mauritania, particularly in trade and rare-earth minerals.
Trade between the two countries has been “modest and uneven,” according to the website Military Africa. In 2024, Czech exports to Mauritania amounted to $2.2 million, consisting mainly of machinery, electrical equipment, and iron and steel products. Mauritanian exports to the Czech Republic were far smaller, totaling less than $100,000 and primarily made up of seafood, melons and small amounts of raw goods.
“Despite this imbalance, the partnership offers clear benefits for Mauritania,” Military Africa noted. “It provides access to affordable, high-quality European industrial goods, offering an alternative to Chinese products and more competitive prices than those from Germany or France.”
The agreement emphasized Czech forces’ training of the Mauritanian Army.
“This is of particular importance to Czechia and Europe as Mauritania is one of the few remaining countries in Western Africa where European forces are still present,” ADIT reported. In 2024, the Czech Republic deployed more than 20 instructors under a NATO military mission to help train Mauritanian Special Forces.