Ruptly
"France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot met his Togolese counterpart Robert Dussey in Lome on Thursday, with both sides agreeing to further strengthen bilateral cooperation during the first such visit in 10 years. "I would like, by way of introduction, to reiterate the commitment of the Togolese government to continue working with the French government to strengthen our bilateral cooperation," the Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration stated. For his part, Barrot commended Lome's diplomatic efforts to resolve the armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, following the African Union's appointment of Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe as mediator for the Great Lakes crisis in April 2025. "We support the mediation led by President Faure, as well as the work carried out by the co-facilitators he appointed to move toward resolving this crisis, which for far too long has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in the region," he said. Barrot also praised Togo's 2026-2028 Sahel strategy, which aims to bring together Sahel countries and Gulf of Guinea states, whose relations have deteriorated significantly amid rising terrorist violence and the collapse of regional security cooperation under ECOWAS. Barrot arrived in Togo on Wednesday, marking the first such visit by a French foreign minister in 10 years. On the same day, he met with President Gnassingbe to discuss security in the Sahel, regional mediation efforts and cooperation between the two countries. The visit comes ahead of the Africa Forward Summit: Africa–France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth, scheduled for May 11–12 in Nairobi, a major forum aimed at reinforcing renewed partnerships."
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