Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Mali’s Ambassador to Nigeria Oumar Coulibaly agreed to form a joint commission to enhance bilateral relations. The joint commission will discuss security, trade, and direct flights. The July 14 meeting was the first official discussion since Nigeria, along with other member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), slapped sanctions on Mali and its allies in the Alliance of Sahel states (AES), Niger and Burkina Faso. The sanctions prompted the AES states to withdraw from ECOWAS.
According to a statement by her media spokesman, the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs commented, “This meeting is long overdue. Nigeria and Mali share common objectives and goals. We need to deepen bilateral relations.
“We know what the security situation is in the Sahel. For us, the joint commission is the most viable platform to cooperate and this could give an opportunity for starting security cooperation to tackle terrorism,” the minister stated.
“Energy is another area that we could cooperate [sic]. We are bothered about the energy shortage in Mali. What happens to Mali is important to Nigeria. We have to create ease of movement and people to people contacts is very important to us.”
Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu also said “Regardless of happenings in the region, Nigeria believes that it should keep its doors open for Mali.” Referring to Nigeria as a “big brother,” Mali’s Ambassador Oumar Coulibaly said Africans, Nigeria and Mali must continue to relate bilaterally and enhance security cooperation.
Nigeria, the region’s largest economy, joins a growing number of ECOWAS member states that have jettisoned the policy of sanctions to renew political security and economic cooperation as the AES states including Benin, Senegal, Ghana and Togo.The driving forces in this rapprochement are the terrorist threat affecting se countries and the need for economic cooperation among these states.
