Greece would like to deepen economic relations with Côte d’Ivoire, says FM Dendias in Abidjan

Greece wants to deepen its economic relations with Côte d’Ivoire and also help with investments in that country, said Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias in statements ahead of a working lunch with his counterpart Kandia Camara, in the city of Abidjan on Wednesday.

“I have to say that today we start doing this by signing a Memorandum on bilateral cooperation between our diplomatic services,” noted Dendias,  “but also we have forwarded a draft on an MoU on military training, which we can discuss and hopefully sign in the future,” he added.

Moreover, Dendias pointed out that “Greece is interested in examining potential investment opportunities in Côte d’Ivoire,” as it has “important experience in tourism, important experience in construction, both in urban and rural projects, important experience producing advanced building materials, in producing energy, especially from renewables, to address at the same time climate change, in water and waste management, information and telecommunications technology, and in health services. I am absolutely certain that we could create the circumstances in which our business communities could work together and create successful projects.”

In other key issues, Dendias said that as the “Greek-owned commercial fleet is the biggest fleet in the world (…), security in the Gulf of Guinea is very high on our agenda.”
He also noted that Greece became a member of the International Organisation of La Francophonie in 2006, and that “this is another international organisation in which we would like very much to work together.”

“We are very happy also that Côte d’Ivoire is a proud member of the Friends of UNCLOS,” he added.

“For Greece, International Law and International Law of the Sea is the holy gospel, the sacred book of our foreign policy. And we are happy to discuss and work with countries and leaders that have the same approach we have. We are looking forward to exchanging opinions and ideas on this cooperation.”

Finally, Dendias said that concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war there, he “would like to openly praise Côte d’Ivoire for the clear and principled stance on this unlawful invasion of a sovereign country.”

With President of Côte d’Ivoire

In statements following his meeting with President of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, also on Wednesday, Dendias said that they “we almost got into details on how we could enhance the Greek economic presence in Côte d’ Ivoire.”

“Côte d’ Ivoire is a country that is doing spectacularly, it is becoming a powerhouse in the region. And we would like the Greek companies to be present and to invest in this country,” he noted.

“I would like to learn from my interlocutors about the situation in the region, of the security situation in the overall region. And also get more details on the successful conclusion of the freeing of the 49 soldiers from Mali the last days,” Dendias added.

SOURCE; ANA-MPA