By Reinhard Jacobsen
BRUSSELS (IDN | ACP) – Ambassadors of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States held on October 4 a Special Session of the ACP Committee of Ambassors (CoA) at ACP House in honour of the visit of Mr Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire. During the Session, the Prime Minister reminded the CoA that “The latest developments on the international scene with the attempts to challenge the question of multilateralism and the tendency towards nationalism…, indicate that if we want to survive on our own, it is in our interest to strongly defend a multipolar world where our states, small or large, will have a voice.”
Taking into consideration the differences among the three ACP regions, he continued, “We must work for the coexistence and interweaving of our interests, however diverse they may be, in such a vast area, taking into account, of course, our regional and local specificities.”
ACP Secretary General, Dr Patrick I. Gomes in his words of welcome, hailed the prime minister not only as “the Head of Government of a very active country within the ACP family, but also as a statesman who is open and believes in dialogue.”
Dr. Gomes concluded his brief presentation by saying that the Prime Minister’s presence at the session was “a testament to the interest that your country, Burkina Faso, has always shown in strengthening and ensuring the cohesion of the ACP Group, particularly at this crucial stage where the ACP States and our European Union (EU) partners are engaged in the post-Cotonou negotiation.”
Prime Minister Dabire said that in terms of cooperation and economic exchanges, the ACP can constitute a political force that can influence the decisions of the international bodies to which the individual countries have adhered. He went on to urge the packed room “to build on our successful experience in the COP21 negotiations in Paris to build a united, more inclusive and stronger group. We have to learn from our history and not follow the directives we are offered without question.”
Burkina Faso is currently the chair of the Heads of State and Government of the G5 Sahel, in this regard, the Prime Minister also made mention of the international terrorism affecting the G5 and the attempts to contain the violence made by the members of the Group, which include a recent meeting on September 14, 2019 of the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in addition to Chad and Mauritania to find regional and sub-regional solutions to the crisis.
On behalf of the ACP Group, the Dean of the Committee of Ambassadors, Mr. Daniel Evina Abe’e, Ambassador of Cameroon, commended the Prime Minister on the progress made by Burkina Faso since his appointment as Prime Minister on January 20, 2019 and commended the reforms undertaken by his Government to reorganize the army and build the operational capacities of the defence and national security forces as well as the holding of the ECOWAS Summit on Terrorism.
He spoke favourably about the Burkinabe Government’s ongoing efforts “to promote fruitful social dialogue for a peaceful working environment,” and the improvements to the country’s social fabric and business environment. The Dean also acknowledged the invaluable contributions of the Burkinabe Ambassador, Ms. Jacqueline Marie Ziba Nikiema to the ACP Group’s deliberations. [IDN-InDepthNews, 04 October 2019]
Photo credit: ACP
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