SUMMIT OF ECCAS, ECOWAS AND GGC HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT ON MARTIME SECURITY AND SAFETY IN THE GULF OF GUINEA
OPENING SPEECH BY THE HEAD OF STATE
Yaounde, 24 June 2013
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Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, Your Excellencies, Heads of Delegation, The Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, The Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Special Envoys from governments of countries friendly to the Gulf of Guinea, The President of the Cameroon Senate, The President of the Cameroon National Assembly, Mr Prime Minister, The President of the Supreme Court of Cameroon, Your Excellencies, Heads of Diplomatic Mission, Representatives of International Organizations, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to start by wishing each and every one of you, on my personal behalf and on behalf of the Cameroonian people, a warm welcome and a pleasant stay on Cameroonian soil, on the occasion of the summit on maritime security and safety in the Gulf of Guinea.
It is an honour and a great pleasure for me to welcome so many eminent personalities to Yaounde on this occasion.
Let me take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Secretariat General of the United Nations, the African Union Commission, the Secretariat General of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, and the Executive Secretariat of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), for their invaluable support in organizing this summit.
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Maritime piracy poses a serious threat to the peace and stability of our States. It undermines the people's development and wellbeing.
How can our countries progress if somehow our waters became too dangerous for the free movement of people and goods?
How would our towns be safe if pirates flood them with drugs and weapons?
How can we navigate the Gulf of Guinea waters in constant fear of being killed or taken hostage?
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That is unacceptable, for the Gulf of Guinea would then cease being a safe bosom on Africa's shapely and curvy body, to become a hellhole.
Our response must be firm if we must avert a decline in the volume of goods that transit through our maritime space, and if we do not want to jeopardize our development and global balance.
Indeed, the ocean is not merely a vast expanse of water; it is also an energy source.
The ocean is not merely a maritime route for goods transit, but also a reservoir of mineral, plant and animal resources.
Seas and oceans are wonders for humanity.
From time immemorial, they have enabled people to travel, to trade and to generate wealth.
They have enabled people to share, learn about one another and fraternize.
For all these reasons, our maritime space cannot be left in the hands of unscrupulous individuals of organizations whose agenda is to transform it into a predators' haven.