The president of the Ivory Coast holds a “reunion” with his predecessors Gbagbo and Bédié

July 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of the Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, held a “reunion” this Thursday with former presidents Laurent Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bédié at the Presidential Palace, in the midst of his efforts to resolve the political crisis and address the situation in the African country, coinciding with the National Day of France, ancient metropolis.

“This Thursday’s meeting has been a reunion meeting to resume contact and exchange the truth on big issues,” said former president Laurent Gbagbo in a joint statement read in front of Ouattara and Konan Bédié at a press conference.

Likewise, he indicated that it was a “first meeting to relax the political and social climate of the Ivory Coast”.

“It has been a fraternal and friendly meeting with my predecessors. Presidents Henri Konan Bédié and Laurent Gbagbo and I have agreed to meet regularly to discuss the life of the nation,” Ouattara said on his Twitter account.

This meeting took place after a first meeting between Ouattara and Gbagbo on July 27, 2021, shortly after the former president’s return to the country after several years in exile.

That was the first meeting between the two politicians after the 2010 presidential elections, which led to a civil war after Gbagbo refused to acknowledge his defeat against Ouattara, a conflict that left more than 3,000 dead.

Previously, Ouattara and Bédié had met in November 2020 to try to bring positions closer together after the controversial elections on October 31, in which the head of state obtained a third term in the midst of the opposition boycott.

Gbagbo, 76, was president of the Ivory Coast between October 2000 and April 2011, when he was forced from power after being arrested by forces loyal to Ouattara after months of conflict.

The meeting between Ouattara and the two former presidents is part of the recommendations of the political dialogue between the government and the opposition, held between February and March to try to address the crisis and reduce political tensions in Côte d’Ivoire.