For the first time after the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic, the three countries under the Alliance of Sahel States confederation, has held a meeting with the leadership of the commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to discuss their final exit modalities from the organisation.

The meeting between the Alliance of Sahel States confederation commonly known as AES and ECOWAS respectively, took place Thursday, in Bamako, capital of Republic of Mali, agreed to urgently cooperate and tackle the terrorism menace in the Sahel region and the greater West Africa.

The two groups also agreed to urgently work together to create the conditions necessary for effective cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and as a prelude to negotiations on issues of common interest between the two regional bodies.

During the exchanges, sources told BusinessDay that the two Parties adopted the Minutes of Conclusions of the Consultations with a view to the launch of negotiations between the AES Confederation and ECOWAS.

Also, the meeting was said to have addressed important issues related to political, diplomatic, administrative, institutional, legal, security and economic and social development aspects, between them.

The two parties were said to have recalled the willingness of the Heads of State of the subregion to prioritize the best interests of West African populations by safeguarding the gains of subregional integration, including the free movement of people and goods, until the conclusion of new agreements.

The Parties were noted to have also expressed a common concern about the security situation and agreed on the urgency to work to create the conditions for effective cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Additionally, the Parties were further said to have hailed the spirit of fraternity and responsibility that led to the first direct exchanges and agreed to continue them, permanently guided by the interests of West African populations.

The meeting was believed to be based on two essential pillars, that is finalizing all the modalities for the withdrawal of the three AES countries from ECOWAS, and jointly considering a common future in the same space.

The meeting which is a follow up to the withdrawal of the AES Confederation member states from ECOWAS, was a consultation between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the AES confederation and the President of the ECOWAS Commission Dr. Omar Alieu Touray is said to have led his commission delegation.

The meeting was based on two essential pillars, that is finalizing all the modalities for the withdrawal of the three AES countries from ECOWAS, and jointly considering a common future in the same space. (BusinessDay)