Senegal and Mauritania announced, Tuesday, in Nouakchott, that they were working on a bilateral agreement on the conditions of entry, stay and establishment of their nationals in the two countries, and to help Mauritanian and Senegalese economic operators to invest in hydrocarbons.
They announced these measures at the end of a working visit by the Prime Minister of Senegal, Ousmane Sonko, from Sunday to Tuesday, in the capital of Mauritania.
”The two Prime Ministers gave instructions to the Ministers of the Interior of the two countries to finalize the draft agreement relating to the conditions of entry, stay and establishment of people and their property,” say the two governments in a document, at the end of Mr. Sonko’s visit.
Mauritania will submit a draft agreement on migration to Senegal, announced the foreign ministers of the two countries, Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug (Mauritania) and Yassine Fall (Senegal).
This text should include “new conditions of access to the residence permit”, without which it is difficult for foreigners to settle and work in Mauritania.
At the end of Mr. Sonko’s visit, ”the two countries adopted […] a memorandum of understanding” intended to ”maximize the involvement” of the Senegalese and Mauritanian private sector in the development of the oil and gas economy.
For the authorities of both countries, this will involve facilitating investments by economic operators in hydrocarbons, for the tasks that they are able to carry out in the oil and gas industry.
Mauritania and Senegal have decided, for several years, to jointly exploit the natural gas deposit discovered on their maritime border. On December 31, they declared that they had officially opened the first well of this deposit.
A “collaboration within regional frameworks”
Prime Ministers Ousmane Sonko and Moctar Ould Diay, as well as several ministers from the two countries, “reaffirmed their commitment to working jointly for peace, security and development in the Sahel region.”
They also decided to continue their “collaboration within regional frameworks, in order to meet the challenges linked to peace [et] in the fight against terrorism.
”The two Prime Ministers reviewed the various areas of cooperation and welcomed the achievements achieved. They have […] insisted on strengthening cooperation in the areas of security, consular affairs, energy, transport, fishing, livestock…” say the two governments at the end of the working visit ‘Ousmane Sonko.
They decided to continue to fight together against “cross-border crime”, as well as “terrorism, illegal migration, illicit arms and drug trafficking, illicit financial flows and money laundering”. .
Dakar and Nouakchott say they have “a perfect convergence of views on all the subjects discussed” during their consultation in Nouakchott.
For his working visit, Ousmane Sonko was accompanied by several ministers. Besides Yassine Fall, there was Jean Baptiste Tine, the Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Birame Souleye Diop, in charge of Energy, Oil and Mines, Yankhoba Diémé, the Minister of Infrastructure, Land Transport and air, and Fatou Diouf, the one in charge of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructure. Several senior officials took part.
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