BAKARY YAOU SANGARÉ, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Nigeriens Abroad of Niger, welcomed the participation of Palestine and expressed hope that its presence will constitute a decisive step towards the emergence of a free, independent and sovereign Palestinian State, living in peace with its neighbours and within its 1967 borders.  He also lamented the situation in Lebanon and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.  “Every year we engage in the ritual of lamenting the situation of poor countries and pleading for a more equitable world, but are forced to observe that we are holding too many meetings and taking too little action — we are stagnating,” he stressed, adding that poor countries see what is happening:  “The rich are lining their pockets with our resources, continuing to support corrupt and subservient regimes — regimes that rig elections and plunge their people into total suffering.”  He addressed the exploited peoples — peoples left behind — to tell them that it is not the affluent countries that will be finding solutions for them.  “I affirm that these solutions are within us — they consist in refusing to demean ourselves by begging for aid,” he emphasized, calling for partnerships in which natural resources are paid for at the price that they deserve and benefits invested for a population.

“It is in this spirit that my country is using its own funds to address the damages and humanitarian crisis caused by unprecedented flooding that occurred this year,” he noted, underscoring that they do not need any lessons about democracy.  Reminding that the Liptako-Gourma Charter establishing the Alliance of Sahel States was signed on 16 September 2023 by the heads of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, he commended the creation of the Unified Force of the Alliance and the excellent coordination between its units, and he stressed that on 6 July 2024 the Alliance became a confederation, based on the three pillars of defence and security, diplomacy and development.  “This new strategic framework for integration has the ultimate goal of becoming a federation — it boasts a wealth of natural resources to attain its goals,” he continued, highlighting that this wealth has caught the interest of certain Western powers that are financing and arming terrorist groups in order to destabilize the three countries.

“Niger reaffirms its strong condemnation of these hostile acts and rejects all forms of support for terrorism, especially the active and public support of Ukraine for the terrorist coalition that perpetrated a cowardly attack on Tinzawaten in Mali,” he stressed, also condemning the subversive actions and the new strategy of recolonization pursued by France, which trains, finances and arms terrorist groups in the Sahel.  “My country is willing to sign partnership agreements with foreign investors based on the principle of win‑win cooperation while respecting the dignity of our peoples, which have until now been left behind,” he said, thanking the brotherly countries and his State’s friends Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Morocco, Turkey, the Russian Federation, China, Iran and all those who support Niger in its rebuilding process.