Press Release

1. Following the working visit to Lomé by HE Mr. Bah N’DAW, President of the transition of Mali, on November 13 and 14, 2020, Colonel Assimi GOITA, Vice-President of the transition, paid a visit to Togo of forty-eight (48) hour work on December 28 and 29, 2020.
   
2. During the audience he granted to Vice-President GOITA, the President of the Togolese Republic, HE Mr. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE, commended the commitment of ECOWAS which, under the leadership of its current President, HE Mr. Nana AKUFO-ADDO, President of the Republic of Ghana, held several extraordinary summits and sent multiple mediation missions to Bamako, for a return to constitutional order and a successful transition in Mali, a sine qua non for the restoration of peace and institutional stability in this country.
   
3. For the Togolese President, the great firmness of ECOWAS in the condemnation of all seizures of power by means other than that of the ballot box and the requirement of a transfer of power to civilians is based on the principles set out in the Protocol. additional ECOWAS on democracy and good governance to which Togo fully subscribes.
   
4. He congratulated the Malian people for the courage and maturity they have shown in embracing the recommendations of ECOWAS, particularly in the Transition Roadmap, the implementation of which should lead to free and transparent.
   
5. The Togolese President also reaffirmed Togo’s unwavering support for the Transition Support Group in Mali (GST-MALI) initiated by the African Union Commission.
   
6. The Vice-President GOITA welcomed the solidarity shown by Togo towards his country since the start of the crisis and warmly thanked the Togolese Head of State for his determination and unfailing commitment. alongside the brotherly Malian people.
   
7. At the international level, the two personalities exchanged at length on issues of peace and security in the West African sub-region, particularly in the Sahel. They reaffirmed their convergence of views both on the need for coordination of the various initiatives aimed at combating terrorism and violent extremism and on the importance of the involvement of local actors in the search for solutions to political problems and security in West Africa.
   
8. On the issue of terrorism, the Togolese President and the Malian Vice-President strongly deplored and condemned the terrorist attack which resulted in the death, on December 28, 2020, of three French soldiers from Operation Barkhane. While expressing their condolences to the French people and to the bereaved families, they reiterated their strong rejection of this act perpetrated with the aim of attacking the life of the defense and security forces in Mali.

Done in Lomé on December 29, 2020