President of Republic Participates in G5 Sahel-EU Summit
The President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, rotating president of the G-5 Sahel, participated, Monday via videoconference, in the G5 Sahel-EU summit in Brussels dedicated to the support of the European Union to the Sahel Alliance and to the cancellation of the G5-Sahel countries’ debt to the European union to enable them to face the challenges of the region, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In front of his G5-Sahel peers and senior officials of the European Union, the President of the Republic underlined the vitality of the exemplary partnership between the G-5 Sahel and the European Union, and hailed the series of strong resolutions, founders of a strategic partnership between the G-5 Sahel and the European Union. He emphasized the group’s determination to simultaneously achieve security and development in the Sahel region, indicating that this is a prerequisite for overcoming intercommunal conflicts and their exploitation by armed terrorist groups.
Here is the full text of the speech of the President of the Republic:
“Excellencies, Heads of State of the G-5 Sahel countries:
HE Mr. IDRISS DEBY ITNO, President of the Republic of Chad,
HE Mr. Issoufou MAHAMADOU, President of the Republic of Niger,
HE Mr. Roch Marc Christian KABORE, President of the Republic of Burkina Faso,
HE Mr. Bah N’DAW, President of the Transition of the Republic of Mali
Excellency, Mr. Charles Michel, President of the European Council,
Excellency Mr. Antônio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations,
Excellency Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the African Union Commission,
Excellency Mr. Joseph Borell, High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission;
Ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of my peer Heads of State of the G-5 Sahel countries, as well as on my own behalf, I would like, at the beginning of my remarks, to warmly thank our friend Charles Michel, President of the European Council for having taken the happy initiative of this meeting that we are still, unfortunately, forced to hold remotely.
This initiative is renewed proof of the vitality of the exemplary partnership between the G-5 Sahel and the European Union.
The United Nations, the African Union are natural allies of this virtuous multilateral dynamic. I welcome your presence and thank you warmly.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our meeting today revolves around three main axes:
• The follow-up to the decisions and commitments made at our conference last April;
• The new strategy of the European Union for the Sahel;
• The necessary treatment of the debt problem.
Indeed, on 28 April, we took a series of strong resolutions, founders of a strategic partnership between the G-5 Sahel and the European Union by deciding to step up our efforts to fight terrorism and in favor of security, stability, development, governance and the rule of law in the Sahel region.
In the fight against terrorism, the Joint Force is on the offensive and, with the help of our French allies in Barkane and Europeans in Takuba, has achieved significant success.
I welcome here the support of all our partners: the European Union, the African Union and the neighboring countries of the Sahel …
However, for this joint force to continue to grow and strengthen its effectiveness, it is essential to place it under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
Mr. Secretary General of the United Nations, we know that we can count on your advocacy in the Security Council to explain that what is being played out in the Sahel is not a strictly local issue, but a threat to world peace and security and thus it is necessary to bring it a collective and multidimensional response, commensurate with the threat.
The implementation of this collective response will in no way undermine our national efforts to ensure the defense and security of our countries with strict respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.
The Sahel has been living for several years in a difficult situation where the challenges of development, security and stability are piling up.
The COVID-19 pandemic has added to this already gloomy and worrying picture.
In fact, it has acted as a terrible and unpredictable amplifier of bad tendencies: its economic and social consequences have turned out to be much more dramatic than its tragic health implications.
It is true that our strong determination to face the terrorist threat comes up against the modesty of our means and confronts us every day with heartbreaking trade-offs between the demands of security and the necessities of development.
However, we remain unfailingly committed to the concomitant achievement of our security and our development. Only in this way will we be able to come to the end of intercommunal conflicts and their exploitation by the Terrorist Armed Groups.
The Coalition for the Sahel, the establishment of which we welcome, will undoubtedly be an invaluable contribution to the internationalization of the effort in favor of development and security in the Sahel.
Thank you for your attention
AND I suggest, from this moment, opening the discussion part of our meeting before reviewing the debt issue and concluding our meeting”.