PHOTO: Min. Kemayah
By Our Staff Writer
Liberia has assured Guinea that no inch of its territory will be used to ferment insurrection in the sisterly country or any other country in the Mano River basin.
Foreign Affairs Minister D. Maxwell Kemeyah said President Weah has assured this.
Mr. Kemeyah has also underscored the need for enhanced cross-border cooperation as means of fostering stronger partnership between the two countries and peoples.
He was speaking at the weekend in Conakry when President Weah dispatched a high level delegation to hold talks with President Alpha Condé.
Kemeyah also used the occasion to reiterate President Weah’s commitment to strengthening socio-economic ties with its northern neighbor, through the implementation of tangible bilateral projects—such as the rail link between Liberia and Guinea.
He assured that Liberia will stop at nothing in ensuring a timely implementation of the agreement signed by the two Presidents in October 2019.
That document commits the two countries to the use of a connecting railroad to transport goods, services and people from Guinea through the Liberian port of Buchanan.
The Minister conveyed a request from President Weah to his Guinean counterpart to host a summit of Mano River Union heads of state in Liberia.
In response, President Conde re-committed Guinea to the rail link project, saying Liberia and Guinea stand to reap enormous benefits for their people – including job creation.
The Guinean leader urged officials of both countries who are responsible for the execution of the project to move quickly to ensure that it is speedily implemented.
Professor Conde then used the occasion to thank President Weah for the strong cooperation between the two nations, especially in the areas of peace and security, trade and commerce.
Conde, who is the chairperson of the Authority of Heads of State of the Union honored President Weah’s request to host the MRU summit in Monrovia under the auspices of the Liberian Government.
The Liberian delegation to Conakry included Transport Minister Sam Wlue, Maritime Commissioner Eugene Nagbe and National Investment Commission Chairperson Molehwuleh Gray.
They held working sessions with Guinean officials to discuss concrete actions expected to be taken aimed at accelerating implementation of decisions of both leaders.
Guinea Foreign Minister Ibrahim Kalil Kaba and the Country’s Minister in charge of Mines and Geology, Abdoulaye Magassouba, were amongst officials representing Guinea.
Guinea and Liberia, according a Foreign Ministry comment, have agreed “to start as soon as possible the operationalization of the supervision and monitoring bodies provided for, in the Implementation Agreement. As such, they have undertaken to do everything possible so that the first meeting of the Inter-ministerial Monitoring Committee is held before the end of March 2021 and that the first session of the Inter-ministerial Supervisory Committee is held before the end of June 2021”.
The statement further reads: “For efficient preparation of the meetings of the Monitoring and Supervisory Committees, the two parties have decided to set up a Task Force whose heads have been designated by each party. The Task Force will begin its work without delay by means of videoconferences twice a week, which will be organized by the National Investment Commission (NIC)”.