ABIDJAN, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea have launched a field data collection operation as part of efforts to finalize the delimitation of their 610-kilometer shared border, said Diakalidia Konate, executive secretary of Cote d'Ivoire's National Borders Commission.

A joint technical commission has already agreed on a theoretical border line between the two countries, and "a team of experts from both countries will begin the technical reconnaissance along this entire border this Wednesday," Konate said Tuesday.

The team, which has been deployed since June 16, will travel the full length of the border to gather geographic coordinate points. "This will allow for refining the theoretical line and finalizing the definitive border line between the two countries," Konate said during a ceremony marking African Border Day in the village of Gbapleu, located near the tri-border area of Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea and Liberia.

Speaking about Liberia, situated to the southwest of Cote d'Ivoire, Konate said that the land border was originally delineated by France during the colonial period. "It is simply a matter of updating the data to reaffirm this border by rebuilding new markers to replace those currently existing," he said.

Konate said that the absence of clearly demarcated borders often leads to disputes over land and the management of shared natural resources, particularly water and forests. Enditem