By Sulaiman Jalloh
Timothy Musa Kabba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has said Sierra Leone’s stance at the international community is impressive, especially on security issues within Africa and beyond.
He was speaking at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education weekly press briefing on Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 at the conference hall of the Ministry of foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Timothy Musa Kabba reiterated that Sierra Leone is a member of the Peace and Security Council in Africa, nothing this is a body that determines the peace and security of the continent and that the country is playing a significant role in that direction.
The Minister recalled that, on the 6th of June 2023, Sierra Leone was overwhelmingly voted at the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member with 188 out of 190 votes, nothing that is a testament of the country’s readiness to participate in the international space, saying the UN Security Council is the highest international body that deals with global peace.
He said Sierra Leone is ready to canvas the common African position for the continent to have a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, something he said his government and other governments in the continent continue to work on.
Speaking on the African Pair Mechanism Reforms, Mr. Kabba noted that other countries have assigned the chairmanship to Sierra Leone with a team of experts to look into the governance system of Africa, something he said is a socioeconomic tool and that the Mono River Union member country is ready to handle the bestowed leadership.
According to Minister Kabba, the country is a member of a committee that is advocating for resolution of Palestine and Israel, saying that he believed Palestine and Israel will live in peace. He confirmed that Sierra Leone is yet to establish an embassy in Israel due to the ongoing conflict.
The foreign minister cited that the nation’s foreign policy is enshrined in Chapter 10 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, which, according to him, states that the foreign policy of the country is to promote and protect the national interest and for Sierra Leone to be part of the international community and participate in multilateral organizations and to promote inter-continental cooperation.
On reports of withdrawal of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso from the regional bloc, the Minister noted that the regional ECOWAS is working with the said countries to address their concerns, nothing that the livelihood of the people in these countries matters to the regional body, adding that they will ensure that the impasse is resolved amicably.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday, January 2nd, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
