"UK determined to deepen relationship with C么te d'Ivoire"
Minister for Africa Henry Bellingham has welcomed the President and First Lady of la C么te d'Ivoire to London for the 2012 Olympics Games.
Mr Bellingham said he was delighted to welcome the President and First Lady and spoke of the relationship between the UK and Cote d鈥橧voire.
鈥淲e will be greeting many countries in the next two weeks, but few relationships will have so much potential to develop as there is with Cote d鈥橧voire.
鈥淲e are determined to deepen that bilateral relationship. That is why we formally re-opened the Embassy in Abidjan in May, why I took a trade delegation to Abidjan, why we have strengthened our commercial team at the Embassy, and why our world class ship HMS Dauntless visited.
鈥溁使谔逵齛pp UK is focused on meeting the target of doubling bilateral trade with Cote d鈥橧voire in the next three years, and there is a huge appetite from UK business to help us achieve that goal. Cote d鈥橧voire can be a gateway to West Africa for UK business, as well as a destination in its own right.鈥�
皇冠体育app Minister for Africa paid tribute to President Ouattara鈥檚 leadership, in delivering key economic reforms and working to achieve national reconciliation after conflict last year.
He also praised the crucial role Cote d鈥橧voire, and President Ouattara was playing personally in leading the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) responses to the challenges in Guinea Bissau and Mali.