NewzGhana and Gabon have entered a new phase of their strategic cooperation with the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in Accra. The MoUs, which were reached during a three-day state visit to Ghana by Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema at the invitation of President John Dramani Mahama, included an MoU on Political Consultations. There was also an MoU on Cooperation in Diplomat’s Training between the Foreign Service Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana and the Institute of Diplomatic Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in charge of Integration and the Diaspora of Gabon.
The MoUs were signed by Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mrs Marie-Edith Tassyla-Ye-Doumbeneny, Gabon Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in charge of Integration and the Diaspora on behalf of their respective countries. A communique read by Mr Ablakwa said the official visit was conducted in the spirit of the longstanding friendship and cordial relations between Ghana and Gabon. The visit was aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including political and diplomatic consultations, trade and investment, mining, energy, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, maritime affairs, transport, tourism, education, health, defence and security cooperation, environmental protection, climate action, and people-to-people exchanges.
During the visit, the two Heads of State held a tête-à-tête meeting, followed by official bilateral talks at the Jubilee House in Accra. The two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and to promote sustainable economic development for the mutual benefit of their people. The two Heads of State reviewed the current state of bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction with the warm ties between Ghana and Gabon.
They acknowledged the considerable potential to expand cooperation and agreed to intensify engagement to translate political relations between the two countries into tangible economic partnerships. The two Heads of State underscored the importance of enhancing bilateral trade and investment, encouraged the relevant institutions and the private sectors of both countries to explore opportunities to expand commercial exchanges, industrial cooperation, and value addition. Pakistan on Wednesday welcomed Kuwait's ratification of the Pakistan-Kuwait Defence Cooperation Agreement, as the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in defence, trade, investment and other key sectors, with the visiting Kuwaiti foreign minister praising Islamabad's constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability.
The understandings were reached during the two-day official visit of Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who held delegation-level talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and later met Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi welcomed Kuwait's ratification of the Pakistan-Kuwait Defence Cooperation Agreement, describing it as another important milestone in a defence partnership dating back to the early 1980s. He said the agreement provided a comprehensive institutional framework for expanding defence cooperation through military training and education, joint exercises, exchanges of expertise and other mutually agreed areas of collaboration.
The spokesperson said the pact would strengthen institutional linkages between the armed forces of the two countries and consolidate their longstanding defence partnership. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to implementing the agreement in accordance with its provisions to expand bilateral defence collaboration, strengthen the enduring defence partnership based on mutual trust, shared interests and close institutional cooperation, and contribute to regional peace, security and stability. FM Dar During delegation-level talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dar welcomed Kuwait's ratification of the defence cooperation agreement signed in June 2023, describing it as a significant milestone in bilateral defence relations.
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