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By Chinasa Nwankwo
Amb. John Ballout, Liberian Ambassador to Nigeria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, on Wednesday formally presented his letter of credence to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray.
Ballout, who also has concurrent accreditation to Benin and Equatorial Guinea, while presenting the letter in Abuja, pledged Liberia’s full support to ECOWAS and reaffirmed its commitment to regional integration.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a letter of credence is a diplomatic document, usually given to an ambassador to a country or host institution, before the envoy’s assumption of official duties.
Ballout said his appointment was a great honour, and pledged to remain deeply involved in the work of the regional bloc.
The ambassador also pledged to leverage Liberia’s recent election to a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council to advance Pan-Africanism and ECOWAS objectives.
“I am here on behalf of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Liberia, to convey his kind words and message of Liberia’s continuous support to working fully in regard to the mandate of ECOWAS,” Ballout said.
Ballout expressed concern over ECOWAS’ decision to regulate domestic airline tariffs within the region, noting that affordable air connectivity was fundamental to free movement and economic integration.
“Air transport plays a very important and integral part of the whole essence of ECOWAS free movement, trade, connecting people and connecting our economies,” he said.
The ambassador also ex concern over the alarming escalating cases of drug abuse among West African youth, and urged the Commission to fast-track pending legislation for the establishment of an ECOWAS Drug Enforcement Agency.
The Permanent Representative said that he personally witnessed the devastation of drug abuse in Liberia, and warned that cross-border drug trafficking had overwhelmed individual member states’ capacity to respond.
“None of us has the capacity to deal with this cross-border drug trafficking. We have to come together and pool our resources together,” Ballout added.
On the lingering border dispute involving Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, Ballout urged ECOWAS to deepen engagement, stressing that dialogue and open-list diplomacy remained the only viable paths to resolution.
Receiving the letter of credence, Touray congratulated Ballout, and affirmed that the community would remain a reliable partner to Liberia throughout his tenure.
“You can count on me, count on the office of the president, the ECOWAS Commission and other institutions.
”This is because it is only together that we can really rise up to the challenges that we all face,” he said.
Touray disclosed that Guinea had officially accepted to receive an ECOWAS technical delegation, describing the development as a positive signal toward resolving the border tensions.
“Initially, we had some obstacles but those obstacles have been removed.
“The technical team will be going to Guinea on this matter,” he said, while assuring that the mission would equally address Liberia-Guinea and Guinea-Sierra Leone border concerns.
He promised to involve relevant departments in a more substantive follow-up meeting to provide clarity and updates.
The President welcomed the proposal, noting that the next meeting would provide a platform for deeper engagement on all matters raised by the Liberian envoy. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Mark Longyen
