ABIDJAN, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire and the European Union (EU) have agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership to promote sustainable, inclusive and opportunity-creating growth for the Ivorian population, an official source said Thursday in Abidjan.
At the end of a meeting chaired by Ivorian Prime Minister Robert Beugre Mambe, the two sides praised the "excellent" state of their political, economic and cooperation ties, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further consolidating this strategic partnership, particularly for the benefit of young people.
According to the final communique, discussions focused on peace and security as well as the business climate, two key issues for stability and development.
"The discussions made it possible to review actions undertaken by Cote d'Ivoire in terms of securing the territory, preventing violent extremism, strengthening the resilience of border areas, particularly in the north of the country, as well as relations with neighboring countries, the fight against organized crime and illegal gold mining, and the reform of the mining code," the communique said.
The EU is also supporting a program worth more than 40 million euros in the northern regions bordering Mali and Burkina Faso, which are exposed to terrorist attacks, with the aim of strengthening the state's presence, improving access to basic social services and promoting local development.
Regarding the business climate, both sides highlighted the vitality of their economic relations, notably driven by the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The EU delegation, led by its ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire, Irchad Razaaly, reiterated its commitment to supporting Ivorian productive sectors in order to enhance the competitiveness of local industries and facilitate their integration into global trade. It also welcomed the structural reforms undertaken by Cote d'Ivoire to improve the investment climate, support the private sector, promote inclusive growth and combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
In this context, the EU is supporting Cote d'Ivoire's National Development Plan with funding of one billion euros, with the aim of helping the country achieve upper-middle-income status by 2030. ■
