President Obiang attends Fourth EU-Africa Summit

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Equatorial Guinea's President, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, attended the fourth EU-African Summit held in Brussels on April 3-4. Obiang joined more than 60 leaders from the European Union and Africa in a two-day summit aimed at strengthening security, commerce and migration control ties.

The summit discussed security issues affecting the African continent. Attendees focused on the crisis in the Central African Republic and the situations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Sudan and Somalia, which have serious problems of instability and violence.

President Obiang met with Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, to discuss the promotion of foreign investment in Equatorial Guinea and broader African-European industrial relations. He also held bilateral meetings with business representatives from Belgium, Luxembourg and other European states.

While in Brussels, President Obiang gave a lecture at the Cervantes Institute, the public institution created by Spain in 1991 to promote and teach the Spanish language and the other official languages ​​of Spain and to disseminate Spanish and Latin American culture, where he spoke on the role of the Spanish language in Africa. During his address, the Head of State emphasized Equatorial Guinea's commitment to the preservation of the Spanish language within the international community. Obiang has ensured that Spanish was adopted as a working language within the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission.

"The summit has demonstrated how wide and deep our relationship is, and how shared values and a shared vision…enable us to face the challenges of the present," said Herman Van Rompuy, European Council President, in the final news conference. "Our partnership of equals has come of age."

"African and European leaders have spoken," said Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, President of the Commission of the African Union. "We have demonstrated that there is much that we can and must do together to confront common challenges and take advantage of opportunities."

The summit concluded with a three-year plan to frame EU-African relations for 2014-2017, which includes 5 topics, peace and security, democracy, good governance and human rights, human development, sustainable and inclusive development and growth and continental integration, global and emerging issues.

Earlier this week, President Obiang accompanied by the First Lady, Constancia Mangue de Obiang, traveled to Spain to attend the memorial service for the former Spanish President Adolfo Suarez. Obiang was the only Head of State, Besides King Juan Carlos, present at the funeral.

About Equatorial Guinea

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea (República de Guinea Ecuatorial) is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, and one of the smallest nations on the continent. In the late-1990s, American companies helped discover the country's oil and natural gas resources, which only within the last five years began contributing to the global energy supply. Equatorial Guinea is now working to serve as a pillar of stability and security in its region of West Central Africa. The country hosted the 2011 Summit of the African Union. For more information, visit http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com.

SOURCE Republic of Equatorial Guinea