CONAKRY, April 24 (Xinhua) -- A consultation meeting on border management between Guinea and Guinea-Bissau was held Thursday in Conakry, the Guinean capital.
Guinea's Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization Ibrahima Kalil Conde held talks with Mamasaliu Embalo, Guinea-Bissau's minister of interior and public order, who is on a working visit to Conakry. Discussions focused on security and defense issues along their shared border, which stretches about 400 km.
Both sides expressed their willingness to strengthen security cooperation to maintain peace and social stability, while facilitating the free movement of people and goods across the border.
"We have been mandated to engage with our counterparts from the Republic of Guinea on our shared border and on bilateral integration," Embalo said. He also highlighted the common challenges facing the two countries, "which share the same peoples," stressing the need for dialogue and consultation to address them.
In response, Conde reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to the principles of the inviolability and intangibility of borders. "The Republic of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau respect these principles, which explains the absence of disputes between the two states," he said.
As part of efforts to consolidate peace and security, Conde said measures are taken to equip national border commissions with a view to demarcating boundary markers.
He added that plans are also underway to establish joint border patrols and strengthen awareness-raising activities among communities living in border areas. ■
