Senegalese President: We’ll renegotiate oil contracts and French military presence
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said he would renegotiate oil contracts, adding that neighboring countries such as Mali had done so, asking “why don’t we do the same”.
During an interview with a number of Senegalese journalists marking the 100th day anniversary of his presidency, Diomaye Faye said that these contracts were poorly negotiated by the former regime, adding that “there must be mutual benefit between the two parties”.
“These contracts could have been negotiated in a more meaningful way, as other countries have done to get the maximum of their resources,” Diomaye Faye said.
Senegal’s fifth president explained that his strategy is to review negotiating approaches and above all develop other sectors thanks to oil and gas resources, such as vocational training and agriculture.
Among the issues, that Senegal is desire to discuss the issue of the French military presence in the country.
In another context, the Senegalese president said that he planned to take legal action, if the audits that have begun in all sectors reveal the existence of embezzlement in the management of public funds under the previous presidency.
When he came to office, he found nothing in front of him as political money, everything has been emptied.
He said, expressing “the need to rectify this situation, rebuild a solid foundation for governance and the effective functioning of the state”.
At the regional level, Diomaye Faye said ECOWAS was facing difficulties after the departure of three of its members, adding that he viewed his mission as a mediator to persuade them to return humbly and without illusions.
It’s worth noting that Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, received last week the Russian president’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, carrying a message from his counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The Senegalese presidency explained that the Senegalese president’s talks with the Russian official, who is also deputy foreign minister, focused on strengthening multidimensional bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
Diomaye Faye and Bogdanov discussed joint projects in the sectors of energy, mineral exploitation and processing.
They also discussed strengthening trade, economic and investment partnerships, improving the legal framework and implementing promising joint projects in the fields including fisheries and agriculture.
