AA / Abidjan / Fulbert Yao
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday in Abidjan, where he is on a 72-hour state visit, lamented the decision taken by several countries to ban travel to and from South Africa, in reaction to the emergence of the new alternative to the coronavirus, Omicron. , discovered in the state.
“The travel ban in South Africa is unfortunate,” said Cyril Ramaphosa, during a joint press conference with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara.
He pointed out, “The importance of taking the necessary medical measures is what we agreed upon during the G20 summit.”
According to him, his country is already recording significant losses in the field of trade with a “50% reduction”.
He stressed that “while we allow each country to protect its own population, and to support international cooperation, it is important that we be guided by science and not by emotions, not to mention political considerations.”
On the occasion of this visit, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire signed nine cooperation agreements, notably in the areas of defence, agriculture, air services, youth promotion, ICT, energy, mining, geology, hydrocarbons, women’s empowerment, gender equality and policy consultations
President Alassane Ouattara urged the private sectors of South Africa and Ivory to intensify efforts to create strong partnerships to “strengthen our economic and trade exchanges.”
He discussed with his South African counterpart, regional and international issues, including the availability and local production of Covid-19 vaccines, financing of economic growth in Africa, terrorism and global warming.
He also expressed his solidarity with the government and people of South Africa at this “difficult period marked by the emergence of the new Omicron variant”.
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