The transitional president of Guinea Mamady Doumbouya arrived Wednesday in Bamako, the capital of Mali, for an official visit, during which he will attend Thursday festivities of the 62nd anniversary of Mali’s independence.
“Guinea and Mali are two lungs in one body. For me, it is important to be in Bamako to celebrate the independence of Mali with my Malian brothers,” Doumbouya told the press at the Bamako International Airport where he was greeted by the Malian transitional president Assimi Goita.
According to Malian and Guinean diplomatic sources, the visit aims to strengthen the Bamako-Conakry ties. In the aftermath of the sanctions imposed on Mali by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) between Jan. 9 and June 4 this year, Guinea opened its port facilities to its neighbor to facilitate supply.
During a visit to Guinea by Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdoulaye Diop last month, the minister said Guinea has shown remarkable solidarity with Mali and vowed to continue to work to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
A Guinean delegation was also received in Bamako on Aug. 5 to deepen the discussions launched in Conakry in order to “materialize the political will” of the two presidents and strengthen the framework for further cooperation, particularly in the fields of ports, roads, security and customs. Enditem
