By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
Nigeria and the Republic of Mali have agreed to convene a Joint Commission to revitalize dormant bilateral agreements and deepen cooperation across key sectors.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and Mali’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Oumar Coulibaly in Abuja.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister in a statement said the Commission will prioritize security cooperation to tackle terrorism and banditry in the Sahel, as well as trade, energy, migration, and the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).
She noted that despite the exit of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from ECOWAS, Nigeria remains committed to bilateral ties.
Ambassador Coulibaly also announced that under BASA, Air Peace will this month commence direct flight operations from Lagos to Bamako.
The Minister further conveyed President Tinubu’s condolences to Mali over the killing of its Defence Minister, General Sadio Camara, in a rebel attack in April.
