At the Palais de la Marina in Cotonou, the Talon – Bazoum meeting marked this March 13, the strengthening of cooperation between Benin and Niger on the economic and security levels. Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum and his Beninese counterpart Patrice Talon have pledged to work together so that the two countries benefit from each other’s wealth.
It is an unusual visit since the two Heads of State had a working session of more than an hour. “We had a discussion that was more technical than political”, commented Patrice Talon before discussing issues of safety and economy which were at the heart of the working session itself.
According to the Nigerien Head of State, this working visit is part of a renewed commitment by his people to work for the two countries to benefit from their cooperation. Economically, President Mohamed Bazoum insisted that “for Niger, the Benin corridor is a vital corridor. The road from Cotonou to Malanville is also largely the road to Niger”.
Moreover, Niger has always operated the autonomous port of Cotonou. In this regard, President Patrice Talon promises new road infrastructure in the coming months to improve trade.
“The oil of Niger is the oil of Benin”
Another important subject of exchanges between the two presidents, the question of the transport of Nigerien oil through the Niger-Benin export pipeline. On this subject, the two Heads of State share the same point of view. “Iniger’s oil will also be Benin’s oil. It’s a decision we made. Because we use the roads of Benin, oil from Niger should also be able to benefit Benin,” assured Mohamed Bazoum. “The passage of oil from Niger through the roads of Benin will generate revenue for the State. Its very important”, confirmed the Beninese president.
The same convergence of point of view will be noticed about the port of Cotonou. Indeed, the Beninese port is very popular with Nigerien economic operators. “The port of Benin is also the port of Niger. We discussed this and took decisions to improve the lives of our economic operators”, revealed Mohamed Bazoum. Talon also hammered home the determination of the two countries to improve traffic on the corridors between Benin and Niger. “We also discussed the possibility of reducing the costs borne by our carriers on our corridors. In the years to come we will transform our road and port infrastructures”said Patrice Talon.
Fight against terrorism
Regarding joint actions to fight against terrorism, Patrice Talon says “satisfied with the cooperation between [les] two States, particularly at the intelligence and military levels”. Abundant in the same direction, Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum indicated that inter-state cooperation is one of the effective solutions to the spread of terrorist actions. This requires the coordination of intelligence, the strengthening of operations at the level of the borders of each country and of the capacities of the armies within the countries.
Along with sub-regional initiatives to fight against the terrorist threat, the two heads of state reaffirmed the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation to combat the jihadist threat.
Tuesday, March 14, President Mohamed Bazoum leaves Benin for Niger. But before, according to his agenda, he will meet the Nigerien community living in Benin, visit the Terminal Station of the Niger-Benin Export Pipeline, the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone and, finally, the port of Cotonou.