Venezuela's deputy foreign affairs minister for Africa, Reinaldo Bolivar, met Monday with Mali's sports minister Housseini Amion to discuss bilateral cooperation agreements.

Mali has great development potential in sports, Bolivar said after the meeting, so the two countries plan to work to strengthen the field.

"Mali is a country that excels in football, athletics and basketball," the Venezuelan News Agency (AVN) cited Bolivar as saying. "The idea is to work together through several accords that can strengthen this joint effort."

In 2006, the two nations signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement in the areas of culture, sports, energy, mining and agriculture, Bolivar noted.

Venezuela has also provided the West African nation with aid, including the construction of a school for 1,700 children and 100 low-income housing units in 2008, "just when Mali was undergoing a very difficult time," said Bolivar. Endi

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)