President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commended the Ivorian leader, President Alassane Ouattara, for his show of statesmanship following the ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on the maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

The President said the atmosphere that surrounded the matter became delicate at a certain point in time.

“We realised there was a delicate moment, when it came to this dispute over our maritime border. But, your statesmanship, friendship and regard for the interests of our two countries made it possible for us to overcome that delicate moment, and use it as a basis for forging even stronger relations between us,” he said.

President Nana Akufo-Addo was speaking during bilateral talks with his Ivorian counterpart at the Flagstaff House in Accra on Monday after President Ouattara had arrived in the country for a two-day official visit.

He reiterated Ghana’s commitment to translate “the technical decisions agreed on paper into concrete decisions that affect the lives of the people, and that is what is most important. At this juncture in our history, we have a historic opportunity to bring our two countries together.”

Greater intimacy

The President expressed the gratitude of the people of Ghana for the visit and noted that there were many things that needed to be done to improve on the intimacy of the two nations.

Acknowledging the political will on the part of President Ouattara to deepen and strengthen the bonds of friendship with Ghana, President Akufo-Addo said: “It is for us, on our side in Ghana, to complement it.

 “There is a bright future, if we are able to get our various darts in the correct row. The Ghanaian people continue to be very supportive of all the initiatives there are to improve our ties with your country.”

President Ouattara

Responding, President Ouattara expressed joy at the fact that people were excited about his visit and that the delegation was excited about the hospitality being extended to them.

He was also grateful about the level of hospitality that Ghanaians gave to Ivorians who came to Ghana during the post-election crisis that took place in that country.

“Ghana was gracious enough to host our citizens here and this is something that will be engraved on our memories. This is hospitality that is considered as natural, proving that you are dealing with two countries that have a common history,” he said.

President Ouattara recounted that the situation in Cote d’Ivoire had returned to normal and implored those willing to return to do so.

However, he said those who were already engaged in business and social activities here in Ghana and who preferred to stay on could do so.

The Ivorian President applauded the position of President Akufo-Addo on the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire when he was then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.

“You took a position of wisdom. You had principles and this supported us in the negotiations that were conducted that led to democratic elections in Cote d’Ivoire,” he added.

Arrival

Earlier, President Nana Akufo-Addo had received the Ivorian leader at the Jubilee Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport on his arrival for a two-day official visit to Ghana.

Shortly after exchange of greetings, President Ouattara inspected a guard of honour mounted by a contingent from the Ghana Air Force.

Thereafter, the two Presidents took a drive through some principal streets of Accra. They responded to cheers from Ivorian nationals living in Ghana, Ghanaians from all walks of life and schoolchildren who had lined up along the streets waving miniature Ghanaian and Ivorian flags.

They then proceeded to the Flagstaff House where they held bilateral talks.

Team

Accompanying the Ivorian President were 10 ministers of state who later met with their Ghanaian counterparts to develop a strategic partnership agreement between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

The two teams were jointly led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and the Ivorian Foreign Minister, Mr Marcel Amon-Tanoh.

Addressing the opening session of the meeting, Ms Botchwey said the presence of the high-powered Ivorian delegation in the country had sent a strong signal to Africa and especially, West Africa, that Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire were deepening their already strong relationship.

“We are deepening the strong ties that we already enjoy and for us, it does not matter what happens, we will still be together, understand each other and live together. So for us, your being here is very special, and we are happy to host no less a person than his Excellency President Alassane Ouattara,” she stressed.

Mr Amon-Tanoh, for his part, said the delegation was happy to be at home in Ghana and expressed the hope that at the end of their deliberations, the relations between the two countries would be taken to a new pedestal for the common good of their peoples.

 

Relations

The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin, said the purpose of the visit was to further deepen the already strong relations existing between the two countries, as well as explore other areas of co-operation for their mutual benefit.

The visit, he said, was reciprocal to the one made to Cote d’Ivoire by President Akufo-Addo in May this year at the start of his tour of West African countries.

ITLOS

The Special Chamber of ITLOS constituted to hear the dispute unanimously declared that Ghana had not violated Cote d’Ivoire’s sovereign rights with its oil exploration activities.

In its ruling on Saturday September 23, 2017, the chamber also held that Ghana was not financially obligated to Cote d’Ivoire with respect to those activities to give rise to the issue of reparation (compensation).

The tribunal further rejected Cote d’Ivoire’s claim that Ghana disobeyed its April 25, 2015 preliminary orders, which directed that new wells should not be drilled in the disputed area.

The Special Chamber also rejected Cote d’Ivoire’s claim that Ghana violated Article 83 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and Cote d’Ivoire’s sovereign rights.