Relations between Mali and the Ivory Coast are making real progress after the presidential pardon granted last week to the 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested and sentenced by the Malian justice system, thanks to Togolese mediation.
Earlier this week, there was the first telephone conversation between Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara and the head of the Malian junta, Assimi Goïta. This call concretizes the conciliation between the two countries.
During this call, Alassane Ouattara reiterated to the president of the Malian transition his desire to invite him to make a friendly visit to Abidjan to “warm up relations between the two countries”.
No date has yet been set for this visit. Thus, Malian officials interviewed by some media confirmed that there was a conversation between the two heads of state, adding that there is a Malian desire to strengthen ties on the part of Mali, which could be realized through the holding of a meeting of the Mali/Côte d’Ivoire Joint Commission on Cooperation.
Some media reports have indicated that there is a strong probability that the foreign ministers of the two countries will be in contact this week to speed up preparations for the planned visit.