Niger still does not exclude the possibility of a military invasion of the country, but is ready to repel it, Niger's Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine told Sputnik.
"There is no need to have any illusions, anything can happen at any moment. But remember that we have a hardened army, an army that is stronger than terrorists," Zeine said, adding that Niger will take all the necessary measures to protect its sovereignty "if any state decides to attack us."
Furthermore, Zeine shed light on the health status of the country's former president Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted and detained by his own guard in July. The prime minister said he is in good health and lives in a room in the presidential residence.
"[Bazoum] is in perfect health, his honor and dignity are strictly respected. The ousted president is currently in the Presidential Palace," Zeine said.
Apart from that, the Nigerien official touched upon the topic of cooperation between Niger and the European Union. He said it can resume if Brussels expresses such a desire and if cooperation is based on mutual respect.
On December 4, the Nigerien authorities said that they had terminated an agreement with the EU on the deployment of the civilian EUCAP Sahel Niger mission in the African country.
"I hope that the voice of reason will be heard and that, if they wish, we can resume cooperation, which this time should be based on mutual respect," Zeine said.
Late September, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the country's military would leave Niger until the end of 2023.
"Perhaps this question should have been asked of the French, but we were not the ones who asked the French to withdraw their troops. They made a sovereign decision, when we really needed them to fight terrorism, to end our military cooperation," the prime minister said.
In addition, Niger continues to fight for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Thus, the country expects to resume negotiations with the organization in January, Zeine stated.
"In January, God willing, we will resume negotiations so that ECOWAS quickly understands that this [imposition of sanctions] is counterproductive and illegal," the official said.
The government head also noted the importance of lifting sanctions against the country at the earliest possible.
A coup took place in Niger on July 26. President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdrahamane Tiani. Following the coup, the ECOWAS suspended all cooperation with Niger and threatened an invasion.
Moreover, the community imposed sanctions on Niger: it banned the import of medicine and food and cut off electricity. Niger's prime minister said that these sanctions are "inhumane" and that no other country in the world has experienced such "injustice."
In August, the UN and other humanitarian organizations expressed their concern regarding the negative impact of the sanctions on the country and called on ECOWAS to make some exemptions to ensure uninterrupted access to humanitarian assistance as the sanctions were beginning to pose a threat to the health and well-being of the population.