President Paul Biya has reiterated that terrorism is a major preoccupation in the world today and Cameroon is, therefore, not spared.

He made the statement at the Unity Palace in Yaounde on March 17 on the occasion of a State dinner offered the Italian President, H.E Sergio Mattarella, his daughter, Maître Laura Mattarella and members of their delegation. The State House reception was within the framework of Mattarella’s four-day official visit to Cameroon from March 17 to 20.

In a toast, President Biya told his Italian guest that, for over two years now, peace in the northern part of the country is threatened. “We are engaged in a war triggered by Boko Haram, a group of terrorists based in Nigeria and declaring that they belong to the Islamic State. People from friendly countries, including Italy, have paid the price. Fathers Gianpaolo Marta and Giantonio Allegrini were abducted sometimes ago by these men of no faith or law. We got them freed,” he stated.

He said Cameroon is firmly facing exactions of the terrorists and with the support of the Mixed Multinational Task Force as well as from numerous friendly countries including Italy, “we are tracking down the assassins and inflicting heavy losses on them each passing day.”

Biya said the Boko Haram terrorists have provoked massive movement of refugees on the national territory. “In the face of such a [large] number of people in distress, our duty of human solidarity warrants us never to push out those seeking for refuge, but rather to receive and share the little we have with them.

“Europe and Italy, in particular, is currently witnessing a similar situation as they are dealing with an unprecedented migratory crisis. I have always thought that a sustainable solution to this difficult issue should be based on social morality and on human values, which I know are dear to Italy. However, our world needs greater solidarity more than ever before,” President Biya said.

Earlier on in the speech, Biya said the choice of Cameroon as one of the countries to be visited in Africa by Mattarella is a sign of honour.

“This choice is a testimony of the firmness of the friendship between our two countries. It also reflects their excellent relations. From our discussions of today and the exchanges between our economic operators, these relations have new and promising perspectives,” he remarked.

According to Biya, Cameroon is a young nation that is resolutely pursuing its goal of building a modern, democratic and prosperous state.

“Despite the numerous challenges, we are making significant and real progress each day in the domains such as the promotion of the state of law, liberties [and] the protection of human rights… We are working each day to consolidate the bases of real development through ambitious projects whose objective is to place Cameroon by 2035 at the level of emerging countries,” H.E Mattarella was told.

The President added that the progress was coming after a long and difficult period of structural adjustment, thanks to the sacrifices made by the sons and daughters of the country with support from partners such as Italy. Thanking Italy for offering direct and indirect support, Biya said since a number of years now, Cameroon is on the path of economic growth recording six percent in 2015.

On the international economic front, the President of Cameroon stated that global solidarity warrants a shared global prosperity. He said, within the framework of a solidarity contract, countries will be progressing in good partnership together all the time, with the wish of reaching mutually beneficial agreements.

He talked of Cameroon’s huge and varied rich natural resources including large expanses of fertile lands and favourable ecological conditions for agriculture. Biya, however, maintained that such potentials must be judiciously exploited with a greater accent on local transformation. He also called for an increase in the development of economic and social infrastructures.

Acknowledging that a good number of Italian enterprises are in partnerships with their Cameroonian counterparts in the domains of transformation of raw materials as well as public works, while other agreements in the infrastructural and housing sector are in gestation, Biya called on other Italian companies, whose competence and seriousness is well known, to show interest in the country’s programmes. He also hailed Italy for providing aid to the Chantal Biya International Research Centre on HIV, since its creation some 10 years ago.

Reacting to President Biya’s declarations, H.E Mattarella said he and members of his delegation were flattered by the warm and extra-ordinary reception accorded them. He hailed Cameroon’s greatest achievement which, according to him, is unity and cohesion that has assured peace and stability in the country for over the years.

Mattarella described his country’s relationship with Cameroon as special. He said Cameroon has demonstrated extraordinary engagement against extremism, remarking that they are on the side of Cameroon in the fight against such evil. He said it is within the framework of this renewed and strong will of tightening links with Africa that Cameroon was chosen as one of the stops in the visit; the challenges Cameroon has to surmount as well as its rich intellectual potential.

During the four-day visit, Mattarella visited the University of Yaounde I, the Reunification Monument and the Mbalmayo ‘Centre d’Orientation Educative.’ Apart from holding meetings with the various segments of the Italian community in Cameroon, Mattarella also inaugurated the new Chancellery of the Italian Embassy in Yaounde where he held a meeting with the embassy staff. The Italian President also presented his country’s donation to the UNHCR for the humanitarian crisis in Cameroon’s Far North Region.

Meanwhile, his daughter, Laura Mattarella, also paid special visits to the Chantal Biya International Research Centre and the Italian-funded centre, Cameroon Cluster Programme, that caters for the disabled. The programme of the Centre is being implemented in the country by PROMHANDICAM.