The President of the Republic, HE Mr. Alassane OUATTARA and his counterpart of Burkina Faso, HE Mr. Roch Marc Christian KABORÉ, presided, on Friday, July 27, 2018, to the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research in Yamoussoukro, the work of the 7th Summit Conference of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso (TAC 7).
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the Head of State first expressed his pleasure to welcome in the Ivorian political and administrative capital, the President of Burkina Faso as well as all the members of his Government for this meeting. held just a few days before the tenth anniversary of this major instrument, the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso (the TAC), signed on July 29, 2008.
After having welcomed the good functioning of the TAC Monitoring and Evaluation Committee, co-chaired by the Ivorian and Burkinabè Foreign Ministers, President Alassane Ouattara indicated that the stakes of this 7th Summit Conference are related to the implementation of decisions and directives taken together at previous conferences.
In this regard, he noted some notable progress on certain projects, in particular the Yamoussoukro-Ouagadougou Highway project, whose work started on 02 October 2017 on the Yamoussoukro-Tiébissou section; the increase in electricity supply in Burkina Faso, with the goal of reaching 90 MW by the end of this year; the efforts made on the issue of road fluidity on the Abidjan-Ouagadougou corridor, with the creation of the Léraba Juxtaposed Control Post (PCJ), as well as the increased efficiency of trade and transit procedures; the operationalization of the Ivoiro-Burkinabé Friendship and Cooperation Fund for the Integration of Young People (FACIBIJ), with the disbursement of 100 million FCFA by each of the States, etc.
In his turn, the President of Burkina Faso, S.EM. Roch Marc Christian KABORE, also welcomed the satisfactory results achieved since the advent of the TAC which is the engine of bilateral cooperation. However, it recommended setting up operational mechanisms to speed up the implementation of the structuring projects that will contribute to the development actions of our countries. Finally, he stressed that his country will fully play its part in the successful conclusion and consolidation of the commitments made under the TAC.
After the opening ceremony, the two Heads of State presided over the Joint Council of Ministers and the signing of four Agreements in the fields of Culture and Cinema; the Promotion and Empowerment of Women; of Digital Economy and Post and Promotion of Youth.
The work of the TAC 7 ended with a final communique, read by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Côte d’Ivoire, Marcel AMON-TANOH, who was accompanied by his counterpart from Burkina Faso, Mr. Alpha BARRY.