Benin President Patrice Talon held roundtable talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday in the city of Cotonou.
Macron is on a tour of Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau to strengthen political and security ties with countries in West and Central Africa.
Benin, alongside the Gulf of Guinea states Togo and Ivory Coast, has seen increasing attacks from militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State as violence spreads south from the Sahel countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
France aims to “respond positively” to requests from Benin and other countries for air support and intelligence to combat militants, a French official said on Wednesday, as French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the West African state.
Neither Benin nor Togo has made a request for a French presence on the ground, the French official told reporters ahead of the visit.
