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We have no boundary maritime agreement with Ghana - Cote D’lvoire tells ITLOS

During the hearing of the dispute at the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), Cote D’Ivoire argued that they never had an agreement with Ghana on the maritime border for both countries.

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The Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy for Cote D’Ivoire and Head of the country’s delegation at the ITLOS, Adama Toungara said his country for decades have always asked that this issue is resolved but there was never an agreement.

“Mr. President,  even if Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana have concluded an agreement on their land boundary, Cote D’lvoire and Ghana have never concluded an agreement on the maritime boundary, despite meetings of the Ivorian Ghanaian commission on delimitation of maritime boundary, despite meetings between Ministers entrusted with these matters and despite several meetings with Heads of State.  The state I represent has constantly repeated over the years since 1988 to date of the consensual demarcation of the land boundary, that Cote D’lvoire and Ghana have never arrived at an agreement on delimitation of their maritime boundary.”

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The two countries are at the Tribunal after several talks over their maritime boundary in the Atlantic Ocean failed.

Ghana ended the first round of oral argument in the case on Tuesday.

Ghana’s new Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, who led the legal team, during the first round of Ghana’s argument, said the request of Cote D’Ivoire should not be granted since there has been a long-standing agreement on their maritime boundary under their domestic laws.

Cote D’Ivoire has accused Ghana of using the development of its oil industry to annexe the territory which does not belong to it.

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However, Gloria Akufo argued that Ghana had only developed its oil industry based on a recognised pre-existing maritime boundary by the two countries.

“It is on the basis of this tacit, mutual understanding that over many years Ghana has developed this industry step by step, openly, from the first licensing of blocks, through decades of studies, exploratory drilling and the eventual drilling of wells” she told the Special Chamber when it resumed public hearing on Tuesday, February 7, 2017.

Based on this, she prayed the Chamber “to affirm the customary equidistance boundary” as the maritime boundary between the two countries.

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