Following visits to Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko arrived in Conakry on Sunday afternoon, June 1, for a 48-hour working and friendship visit aimed at strengthening cooperation with Guinea.
Deepening fraternal fies
The Guinean Prime Minister’s Office announced Sonko’s arrival, where he was welcomed by his Guinean counterpart, Amadou Oury Bah. Bah hosted a dinner in Sonko’s honor and conveyed greetings and best wishes from Guinea’s Head of State, General Mamadi Doumbouya, to the Senegalese Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation.
“This working visit is an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of solidarity and cooperation between our two peoples, who are brotherly peoples,” declared Amadou Oury Bah. He emphasized the shared history of Senegal and Guinea, adding, “The two peoples, Senegal and Guinea, share practically the same story. I personally symbolize this symbiosis, since I am also largely from Senegal.”
Beyond artificial borders
For his part, Ousmane Sonko praised the warm welcome and articulated his government’s strong desire to enhance bilateral relations. “I am at home here. I am not here as a Senegalese. I have never seriously believed in the artificial borders imposed on us, even if we have to live with them, since the year of independence, when we agreed to maintain them simply for the sake of rationality and organization,” Sonko stated, highlighting the historical and human continuity between the two nations.
He further underscored the enduring human connections: “The Guinean communities established in Senegal for decades, and the Senegalese communities in Guinea, do not consider themselves to be different nations.”
Focus on economic collaboration
Prime Minister Sonko particularly stressed the economic dimension of this visit. “I am here specifically to continue to consolidate these relations in the clear sense of strengthening acts of economic cooperation,” he explained. “My conviction is that together, by pooling our efforts, our resources, and our experiences, we can achieve much more than we have done so far.”
AC/Sf/fss/abj/APA