A meeting between the two parties which opened this May 16, 2023, in Grand-Bassam, 40 km south-east of Abidjan, should enable the implementation of the action plan of the 2023 activities in order to give a boost to the process of demarcation of common borders.
The Executive Secretary of the National Boundary Commission of Côte d’Ivoire (CNFCI), Diakalidia Konate, and his Ghanaian counterpart, Major General Emmanuel Kotia, opened the proceedings of the Joint Technical Commission for the reaffirmation of land borders and the implementation of the decision of the International Tribunal of the Sea (TDIM) on the maritime border between the two countries on May 16.
This meeting, which follows two others of its kind, organized in Abidjan and Accra, aims specifically to validate and initial the legal texts of the framework agreement on cross-border cooperation, said Mr. Diakalidia Konate, referring to these objectives among others.
For Diakalidia Konate, the Executive Secretary of CNFCI, this meeting of the Joint Technical Commission “This is one of the most beautiful pages of friendship and brotherhood that exist between the two states for thousands of years, which is being written.
“That is why it is always important to remember that our work must continue to take place in a climate of peace, with a spirit of cordiality and frank collaboration,” said Prefect Diakalidia Konate.
Regarding the activities to be carried out, in accordance with the decision of the International Tribunal of the Sea, Diakalidia Konate said joint reconnaissance missions were planned on the terminals that give the extension on the maritime space, but also awareness operations along the land border.
“These are activities that we will set in stone and sign documents to commit ourselves mutually,” said the Executive Secretary of the National Borders Commission of Cote d’Ivoire (CNFCI).
The Ghanaian side represented by Major General, Emmanuel Kotia, expressed all hope for the success of the work and expressed the wish to see accelerate the procedure of validation and signing of the various framework agreements for the proper conduct of the demarcation activities of the border spaces of these two neighboring countries of West Africa.
In July 2017, the International Tribunal of the Sea decided the dispute between Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana over their land and maritime borders. It set coordinates on the maritime space, with the aim of favoring the delineation on the water body between Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
This process is now being implemented by both parties, hence the meetings of 23 to 24 August in Abidjan and 30 to 02 December 2022 in Accra. The present meeting, scheduled for 15 to 17 May 2023, opened on Tuesday May 16, 2023.
AP/fssAPA