The Vice President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, in charge of National Defense and State Security, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, reiterated Equatorial Guinea’s commitment to preventative diplomacy to avoid conflicts at the XXX Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) this week.
The Vice President also highlighted the important of peace and security for the stability of the African continent. “Peace, security and stability are essential elements for the
economic and social development of our countries and are intrinsically linked to the
tranquility and harmony that should reign between the respective populations and countries.”
The Vice President called for collective cooperation between African nations to combat terrorism and other conflicts on the continent. He outlined the framework for an African Police Cooperation Mechanism to support the important work of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Service. “We therefore propose that Africa adopt an extensive operation of the
African Police Cooperation Mechanism (AFRIPOL), which works with close link
with Committee of Intelligence and Security Service in Africa CISSA, to prevent more
effectively these threats to peace and security on the continent.”
The Vice President held bilateral meetings to strengthen relations with the President of Congo, Sassou Nguesso, and the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, on the sidelines of the AU Summit.
Equatorial Guinea has hosted two African Union summits, including in 2014 when Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited the country and dedicated a new UN building alongside President Obiang to house all UN agencies in the country.
Equatorial Guinea is a member of numerous multilateral organizations in addition to the African Union as part of its commitment to peaceful development. Their key partners include the United Nations (UN) agencies, programs and funds, European Union (EU), Arab League (AL), Organization of American States (OAS), Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), African Development Bank (AfDB), Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC), Central Bank of Central African States (BEAC), Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, and the Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa (CPLP) (associate).