Nigeria, Sao Tome end bilateral talks in Abuja
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Dec 22, 2009, 21:16

Bilateral talks between Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe have ended in Abuja as the visiting Sao Tome Prime Minister Dr Joachim Rafael Branco and his delegation depart after a two-day state visit.

In a communiqué issued after the talks, both countries agreed to set up a Bilateral Military Commission [BMC] to safeguard the joint exploration of the rich resources of their Joint Development Zone (JDZ), particularly the Gulf of Guinea.

Vice President Goodluck Jonathan who stood in for President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua at the head of the Nigerian delegation said the BMC should take off immediately in line with the JDZ treaty because its presence would provide security for the oil companies operating in the Zone.

The vice president warned that if recent security threat in the Gulf of Guinea were not put under check, they could threaten the national security and impede economic development of both countries.

According to Dr Jonathan, "Recent security developments in the Gulf of Guinea, especially on the illegal trafficking in arms and ammunition, child trafficking and piracy have become serious concerns for members of the Gulf of Guinea Commission. If the situation is allowed to deteriorate without instituting a mechanism to check the atrocities, it could threaten our national security and impede our economic development. The Bilateral Military Commission (BMC) as provided in the Joint Development Zone (JDZ) Treaty should therefore, become operational immediately so that we can face the security challenges in our common maritime border, pending the time, the mechanism designed by the Gulf of Guinea Commission becomes operational. I therefore call for the immediate inauguration of the Bilateral Military Commission as provided in the JDA Treaty."

The vice president also said for the region to fully explore its potential, government of both countries must ensure political stability and put in place the appropriate enabling environment such as friendly business regulatory regimes and immigration laws in our countries.

The communiqué stated that, apart from the BMC, both countries are to also establish a bi-national Commission and will strengthen their relations through joint commission meetings while both leaders expressed optimism that the Joint Development Authority would continue to constitute a platform for development cooperation between both countries and to further explore the rich natural resources in their JDZ.

The communiqué reiterated the need for more high-level official visits, facilitation of trade missions and exhibitions as well as exchange of information as part of confidence building measures.

According to the communiqué which was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of State II for Foreign Affairs, Bagudu Hirse and the Foreign Affairs Minister of Sao Tome and Principe, Carlos Alberto Tiny Nigeria agreed to collaborate with Sao Tome and provide assistance in agricultural research and exchange of information and agricultural materials, in response to a request by the visiting Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister of Sao Tome expressed appreciation for Nigeria’s sustained friendship, solidarity and partnership for Sao Tomean socio-economic development while thanking the Nigerian authorities for the warm reception he was accorded on the two-day visit.

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