A high-powered parliamentary delegation led by the speaker, Mr. Peter Ala Adjetey, was in Benin at the weekend to witness the official opening of the Fourth Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Benin. The visit was at the invitation of the President of the Beninois National Assembly.

In an address to mark the occasion, Mr. Ala Adjetey said the opening of the assembly was a milestone in the history of Benin as it symbolised the confidence of the people in the democratic dispensation and their resolve to uphold and consolidate the democratic gains made over the years.

He traced the warm relations that have existed between Ghana and Benin which have resulted in long-standing cultural exchange programmes.

Mr. Ala Adjetey also observed that under the spirit of sub-regional integration, various agreements and treaties have been signed and ratified by the two countries - all aimed at cementing ties between Ghana and Benin.

He said while it is heartwarming to recount the benefits of such close ties between the two countries, it is also disheartening to recount the evil results of the near telepathic relationship that saw both countries going through periods of political instability from the mid sixties until the early nineties when both countries, once again, embraced the democracy that had been the bed-rock of their political systems.

He was hopeful that as the two countries mature steadily into peaceful democratic countries, the telepathic relationship would be translated into much more fruitful co-operation at all levels including, especially, the legislatures and trade between Ghana and Benin.

The speaker also used the occasion to call on Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia to close their ranks, resolve their differences in the traditional African way, and allow peace to reign for the accelerated development of the respective countries and for the stability and security of the ECOWAS sub-region.