The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has applauded President Alassane Ouattara for his show of statesmanship, in the aftermath of the verdict passed by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on the delimitation of the maritime boundaries of the two countries.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “we realised there was a delicate moment, when it came to this dispute over our maritime border.

But, your statesmanship, friendship and regard for the interests of our two countries, made it possible for us to overcome that delicate moment, and use it as a basis for forging even stronger relations between us.”

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Monday, 16th October, 2017, during bilateral talks with President Alassane Ouattara, at the commencement of the latter’s 2-day official visit to Ghana.

Whilst expressing his and the gratitude of the Ghanaian people for President Ouattara’s visit to Ghana, President Akufo-Addo noted that “there are a lot of things we need to do to bring our two nations into greater intimacy, than we have in the past.

Acknowledging the political will on the part of President Ouattara to deepen and strengthen the bonds of friendship with Ghana, President Akufo-Addo noted that “it is for us, on our side in Ghana, to complement it.”

The President continued, “There is a bright future, if we are able to get our various darts in the correct row. The Ghanaian people continue to be very supportive of all the initiatives there are to improve our ties with your country.”

President Akufo-Addo reiterated the commitment of Ghana to translate the “technical decisions” agreed on paper “into concrete decisions that affect the lives of the people, and that is what is most important. At this juncture in our history, we have a historic opportunity to being our two countries together.”

President Alassane Ouattara, prior to his discussion with President Akufo-Addo, received a rousing welcome Ghanaians, as he was driven through the principal streets of Accra, amidst spontaneous cheers and chants from hundreds and hundreds of Ghanaians who lined up to welcome him.

Prior to President Ouattara’s departure, on Tuesday, October 17, 2017, the two leaders will address a joint press conference.

They will also sign a bilateral agreement, and inaugurate a joint commission for the implementation of the recent ITLOS judgement on the delimitation of the maritime boundaries between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.