TRANSITION BURKINABÈ : «LA CÔTE D’IVOIRE SOUTIENT PLEINEMENT VOS EFFORTS» (ALASSANE OUATTARA AU PRÉSIDENT DU FASO)
Arrived at the end of the morning in Abidjan in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, the President of Faso, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, had a one-on-one with the Ivorian Head of State, Alassane Ouattara at the beginning afternoon, this Monday, September 5.
At the end of their meeting, the two Heads of State held a joint press briefing during which the President of Burkina Faso declared that he had come to express his gratitude to the Ivorian Head of State, Alassane Ouattara, for the accompaniment and support Burkina Faso has benefited since the events of January 24, 2022 from ECOWAS. “You have personally accompanied and supported efforts with the sub-regional community,” said President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
President Damiba also shared security concerns at the Ivorian-Burkinabè border with his Ivorian counterpart.
He also reassured President Ouattara that the Burkinabè authorities will respect the commitments made at the level of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). “Be reassured that the commitments made by Burkina Faso to the international community will be respected”, recalled the President of Faso. “The Transition will work in the first part to bring back a little more stability inside the country and will organize the elections for a return to a normal constitutional order”, he explained.
Asked about his role in mediating for the release of the 49 Ivorian soldiers detained in Mali, President Damiba said “to ensure that a solution is found with the Malian authorities and the authorities of Côte d’Ivoire”. On Saturday September 3, three female soldiers out of the 49 were released.
In his introductory remarks, the Ivorian President expressed his compassion and that of the Ivorian people for the victims of armed terrorist groups in Burkina Faso before congratulating his Burkinabè counterpart for all the efforts made to control the situation.
“Côte d’Ivoire is in full support of your efforts. We believe that this situation of terrorist attacks concerns the entire sub-region and we must do everything to support you, to help you and also to continue to exchange information, to have cooperation at the level of our defense forces and security, whether bilaterally or within the framework of the Accra initiative,” President Alassane Ouattara told the press.
“Mr. President, I would like to tell you how much we have appreciated your initiatives in terms of dialogue between the populations, your reconciliation initiatives because in such situations, reconciliation is an important lever for recreating trust between the different populations in a same country,” he added.
The President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire reiterated his country’s readiness to resume and strengthen economic and financial cooperation between his country and Burkina Faso and within the framework of the sub-region.
On Burkina Faso’s relations with ECOWAS, President Ouattara acknowledged that Burkina Faso was making efforts and should continue to be supported. “We should make sure that you can establish a timetable for the Transition that is reasonable and that is what you have done. The end of this process must be democratic elections, when the time comes, and we trust you in your decision to respect the commitments you made with the organs of ECOWAS. Côte d’Ivoire will support your efforts,” said President Alassane Ouattara.
Direction of Communication of the Presidency of Faso