President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria is ready to raise the existing cordial relations with the Republic of Guinea Bissau higher, to align them with strategic and economic priorities of the two nations.
President Buhari stated this on Thursday, when he hosted the President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Embalo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He described the relationship between the two countries and their leaders as “robust and stable,” and commended President Umaro Embalo as a brother and a true friend of Nigeria, endowed with a good vision for his own country and its people.
President Buhari, who spoke shortly after hosting his visiting Guinean counterpart to a private, one-to-one dinner to break their fast said; ”they had candid discussions as friends and brothers.”
Throughout the Iftar dinner, the warmth and goodwill between the two leaders was evident for all to see.
President Embalo, who is in Nigeria for a two-day official visit, said ”the trajectory of bilateral relations points to a bright future for the two nations and the entire West African sub-region.”
He thanked President Buhari for the role he played in the stabilisation of his country, saying that ”Guinea Bissau had been on the agenda of ECOWAS in the last twenty years. ”
President Embalo expressed happiness that his country was no longer a problem for its neighbours.
He said he thought the best moment to visit and say “thank you” and express his country’s appreciation to President Buhari was the period of the Ramadan.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
