Liberia's Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan says Liberia seeks renewed cooperation and fresher ties with neighboring Cote d’Ivoire following months of interruption occasioned by the Ebola Virus Disease.

The Liberian Foreign Minister made the call during his introductory remarks at the recently ended 3rd Quadripartite Meeting held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire which brought together representatives of the governments of the Republics of Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire as well as the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the United Nations Operations in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI).

He also emphasized the need to take some practical steps towards the full reactivation of bilateral cooperation within the context of the Liberia-Ivorian Joint Commission:"We are quite aware that a lot of positive grounds have been covered on some of these issues since 2013. However, the context has somehow changed; therefore, we expect that our discussions would focus on the contemporary realities and how we can reach agreements that are relevant to dealing with current challenges".

Minister Ngafuan anticipated that issues related to the security and humanitarian situation along the Liberian-Ivorian border, fostering reconciliation and cooperation among the various tribes and citizens of both countries who live in the border regions would be the focus of the3rd Quadripartite Meeting.

Foreign Minister Ngafuan also reflected on some progress both Governments have made including taking a giant step in consolidating bilateral relations and easing tension along the border when Liberia hosted the first Joint Council of Chiefs and Elders Meeting (JCCEM) meeting in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County where Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Alassane Ouattara joined scores of chiefs and elders who had converged to discuss practical modalities of enhancing cooperation among the various tribes along the long border.

Minister Ngafuan noted the progress his country is making against the Ebola virus which he attributes to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's visionary and courageous leadership, the resilience of the Liberian people as well as solid partnerships from the international community.

The Liberian Foreign Minister however reminded participants at the event that neither Liberia nor Cote d’Ivoire can afford to be happy while Guinea and Sierra Leone who are the other two member states of the Mano Union River (MRU) are still registering new cases.

Minister Ngafuan then hailed the Government and people of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire for their solidarity shown Liberia during the peak of the Ebola crisis as he has called for more regional initiatives and partnerships to deal with the Ebola scourge.

"President Sirleaf and the people of Liberia extend warmest gratitude to President Ouattara and the government of Cote d’Ivoire for the courageous decision to resume flights of Air Cote d’Ivoire to Liberia, making Air Cote d’Ivoire one of only three airlines that still fly to and from Liberia", Minister Ngafuan remarked.

Plans to host the 3rd Quadripartite Meeting in Monrovia sometime in 2014 had to be halted as a result of the deadly Ebola virus. The Abidjan meeting was a sequel to two previously held meetings since June 13, 2012, with the aim of  focusing on the thematic areas of Justice and Security; Peace and Reconciliation; Humanitarian, Political and Diplomatic issues .

The Liberian Foreign Minister led the Liberian delegation that included Hon. Morris M. Dukuly-Minister of Internal Affairs,  Hon. Henry B. Fahnbulleh, Jr.-National Security Advisor, Hon. Saint Jerome Larbelee- Deputy Minister of Defense for Operations and other senior representatives of other government intuitions.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) of the United Nations, Karin Landgrin, represented UNMIL.