By Saio Marrah
In a bid to strengthen the diplomatic ties between Sierra Leone and France, Parliament of Sierra Leone has established the Sierra Leone-France Parliamentary Friendship Caucus.
During the announcement of this development in the well of Parliament on Wednesday, 25th November, the Speaker of the House, Dr. Chernor Abass Bundu, said that the initiative is a result of a visit by a French parliamentarian to the Sierra Leone parliament, during which the visitor had a discussion with President Julius Maada Bio on the possibilities of re-establishing embassies in the respective countries.
The parliamentary Caucus is expected to work towards the establishment of diplomatic missions between the two countries, as similar friendship Caucus will be created in the French parliament for the same purpose.
“On the side of the French National Assembly, they have already constituted the Franco-Sierra Leone Parliamentary friendship Caucus working towards that end,” Dr Bundu said.
He added that some parliamentarians in a meeting agreed for Hon. Ibrahim Ben Kargbo of Constituency 034, Bombali District to serve as the Chairman of the said Friendship Caucus, while Hon. Dickson Momoh Rogers of Constituency 100 in Pujehun District will serve as Kargbo’s deputy.
Speaking at the event, Hon. Kargbo pleaded with the government of Sierra Leone, through the Deputy Minister of Finance, to reestablish the Sierra Leone Embassy in Paris, noting that he has once been embarrassed in France when he went to sign the Fiber Optic Cable deal during his tenure as Minister of Information and Communication in the Ernest Bai Koroma administration. France, said Kargbo, is a strong country with a strong economy that can easily help Sierra Leone out of difficulties, adding that the same reason why Sierra Leone has an embassy in the UK is the same reason why it should have one in France.
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