The American Secretary of State began a week-long visit to West Africa on Monday, January 22, to ensure in particular the follow-up of the promises made during the United States-Africa Summit in December 2022. After a first stop in Cape Town Green, Antony Blinken is in Ivory Coast this Tuesday.
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With our correspondent in Abidjan, Bineta Diagne
After attending the meeting between Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea, Antony Blinken was received this Tuesday morning by Alassane Ouattara. The interview between the head of American diplomacy and the Ivorian president lasted a little over an hour. It provided an opportunity to review bilateral relations between the United States and Ivory Coast. The Ivorian president spoke of “ convergence of views » regarding the sub-region: “ We agree that some countries must move towards democracy », Underlined Alassane Ouattara, referring to the military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
For his part, Antony Blinken put forward a different approach, promoting “ working with communities “. “ You have to listen to them and understand their needs “, he said. Regarding Côte d’Ivoire, the United States shows its support for the organization of free and fair elections in 2025.
45 million dollars more against terrorism
Alassane Ouattara also thanked the assistance provided by the United States in intelligence and the fight against terrorism. Because Ivory Coast is an important partner for the United States. On the security front, Antony Blinken announced that American-Ivorian cooperation would be strengthened with new funds, i.e. $45 million, to help Côte d’Ivoire and its neighboring countries ” promote stability in the face of regional threats “, we read in a press release. This is in addition to the amount of support from Washington for coastal countries since 2022, to the tune of $300 million. “ The United States wants to position itself in the coastal states, to stem the advance of Russian partners in this area », Explains an expert.
Alassane Ouattara and Antony Blinken both had words of encouragement for the Ivory Coast Elephants, who lost to Equatorial Guinea in the CAN match on Monday. Because upon his arrival, Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to the Ebimpé stadium to attend the match. A way, for him, to give a twist “ positive » as he moves. “ Discouragement is not Ivorian », Said Alassane Ouattara. Antony Blinken stressed for his part that “ the team is still young, with a lot of talent “.
Antony Blinken’s visit comes just a few days after the African tour of Wang Yi, the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, who notably welcomed the increase in trade between the two countries.
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