ACCRA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, have accepted an invitation for an extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Ghana, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced on Thursday.

Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the summit, scheduled for next Tuesday in Accra, Ghana's capital, Ablakwa said the meeting will bring together the foreign and finance ministers of all member states to discuss the exit of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS to form the AES.

"The invitation extended to the AES countries to attend the ECOWAS events is part of the efforts by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama to mediate between the subregional body and the Sahel states," Ablakwa said.

He described the development as a good sign, reflecting a genuine commitment and desire for ECOWAS to be fully reintegrated. "What is important is that we are so interlinked and intertwined, we are one people with common ethnic groups and common bonds of culture and heritage," he said.

In January, ECOWAS formally declared that Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have exited from the regional bloc. ■