Ivorian government spokesperson Bruno Kone on Monday said his country accepted the ruling in order to preserve good relations between the two states.
“What’s important is to preserve our good neighbourly relations with Ghana,” Kone said. “And this judgement allows for a definitive demarcation of the maritime boundary.”
ITLOS’ judgement now means Ghana will keep Tullow Oil Plc’s offshore fields, the main point of contention in the dispute.
According to the oil and gas exploration company, the decision by the Hamburg-based tribunal clarified that the Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme fields, which hold an estimated 2 billion barrels of oil and 1.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, will remain under Accra’s ownership.
Ghana’s vice president Mahamudu Bawumia earlier this month called upon both countries not to let the border dispute affect their strong ties.
“There is no winner or loser of this. We are all winners because we will continue to leave in peace with one another and corporate with one another across many spheres. We took a very good way to resolve this dispute. There was no fighting, there was no quarrelling, we just adjudicated at the International Tribunal and the matter by the grace of God has been settled,” Bawumia said.
