By Joseph Edegbo :
A high-level delegation from the Republic of Mali has concluded a one-day working visit to the country to engage President Julius Maada Bio on the return to constitutional democracy and peace in the West African nation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who led the delegation, His Excellency Abdoulaye Diop, conveyed greetings from the Interim President of Mali, Colonel Assimi Goïta, to President Bio, whom they addressed as his colleague and brother.
They also shared their government’s experience on how to return Mali to constitutional rule and maintain peace.
“I am here as a special envoy from the interim President of Mali, Colonel Assimi Goïta, to seek the guidance and expertise of Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio to be an engine of peace, security and stability in the subregion. And to also assure the leadership of ECOWAS about his willingness to return Mali to constitutional order.
Mali is presently facing many difficult challenges. We are ready to work in a collaborative fashion of peace and security,” he said.
He maintained that they wanted to tap into the experience and expertise as well as the role of President Julius Maada Bio in returning Sierra Leone to constitutional rule and transfer of power from a military to a democratic civilian rule.
In a brief statement, President Bio thanked the special envoy, the Malian delegation and the Interim President of Mali, Colonel Assimi Goïta, for their trust in his continued support to help facilitate the return to a peaceful democratic rule in Mali and the subregion.
He added that just as in the days of the civil war in Sierra Leone, when Mali came to help the country, his government was also willing now to give technical assistance and also make available their expertise to help the process of restoring peace and security to Mali.
It could be recalled that in May last year President Bio called for consultations and communications with stakeholders at the ECOWAS Extraordinary Session on the political situation in Mali in Accra, Ghana.
