Equatorial Guinean-Portuguese Relations

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Equatorial Guinean-Portuguese Relations
Location of Portugal and Equatorial Guinea
PortugalPortugal Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea
Portugal Equatorial Guinea

The äquatorialguineisch-Portuguese relations describe the intergovernmental relationship between Equatorial Guinea and Portugal . The countries have had direct diplomatic relations since 1977.

They are both members of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries .

history

Map of the Portuguese-Spanish Agreement 1777

Until 1968

The uninhabited island of Annobón (Portuguese: Ano-Bom) was discovered on January 1, 1472 by the Portuguese navigators Pedro Escobar and João de Santarém . In the same year Fernão do Pó discovered today's island of Bioko for Portugal. The island of Corisco had been part of the Portuguese colonial empire since around 1470 . The mainland of Equatorial Guinea, now known as Mbini , was also claimed by Portugal.

With the Treaty of San Ildefonso and the subsequent Treaty of El Pardo , Portugal ceded its possessions in the Gulf of Guinea to Spain in 1777/1778. This meant that today's Equatorial Guinea was no longer part of the Portuguese Empire. At least on Annobón, however, the Spaniards did not succeed in breaking the local resistance. De facto , the island was then administered from the nearby Portuguese possession of São Tomé and Príncipe . The Portuguese-based local Creole language Fá d'Ambô (Portuguese: Falar de Ano-Bom ) dates back to this time.

In the 19th century Spain then enforced its claims in all its possessions in the Gulf of Guinea. In 1909 these areas were united to form the Territorios Españoles del Golfo de Guinea , also known internationally as Spanish Guinea.

As the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the country gained independence in 1968.

Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang with Brazil's President Lula da Silva (2008), partner countries in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries since 2014

Since 1968

Equatorial Guinea and Portugal have had diplomatic relations since March 9, 1977. A Portuguese representation in the equatorial Guinean capital Malabo was accredited for the first time on February 18, 1997 , still represented by the Portuguese ambassador in São Tomé and Príncipe .

In 2007, Equatorial Guinea adopted Portuguese as its third official language . In 2014, the country became the ninth member of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries. It hopes for better regional integration and stronger cooperation with the five African countries with Portuguese as the official language .

In March 2015, Portugal's Foreign Minister Luís Campos Ferreira announced the establishment of a Portuguese embassy in Malabo. The building in Malabo, which will be used by the Portuguese embassy, ​​was inaugurated on the Portuguese national holiday on June 10, 2016.

diplomacy

The Equatorial Guinean Embassy in Lisbon

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea maintains an embassy in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon , at 29 Avenida João Crisóstomo. This is also the country’s representation to the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries .

The Republic of Portugal has not yet had its own embassy in Equatorial Guinea, but is accredited there via the Portuguese embassy in São Tomé and Príncipe . The new building in the capital Malabo was inaugurated on June 10, 2016, and will be home to the first Portuguese embassy in Equatorial Guinea.

A Portuguese honorary consulate has existed in the Bairro de Caracolas in Malabo since 2013 ; the consul is Manuel Azevedo.

economy

Around 500 Portuguese citizens live in the oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, mainly entrepreneurs from the fields of construction, investment and training. In particular, the construction boom as a result of the extensive Horizon 2020 infrastructure program , which was decided on in 2007 and financed by oil exports, attracted Chinese, South Korean, Brazilian, French and Moroccan companies as well as companies from Portugal to Equatorial Guinea. Establishing a local company with local participation is mandatory for doing business in the country.

In December 2016, Portugal and Equatorial Guinea agreed to strengthen cooperation on Equatorial Guinean agriculture, as part of the country's efforts to diversify its economy. An official agreement is now to be drawn up on the basis of various initiatives and proposals from industry.

In 2015, Equatorial Guinea imported goods and services from Portugal worth 116.9 million euros (2014: 82.3 million, 2013: 74.2 million, 2012: 44.3 million, 2011: 42.6 million Million), of which 29.6% machines, 26.7% metals and 21.4% ores and minerals.

In the same period, Portugal imported goods and services from Equatorial Guinea worth EUR 220.8 million (2014: 142.1 million, 2013: 188.7 million, 2012: 339.2 million, 2011: 106.7 million .), almost exclusively (99.7%) fuels and other petroleum products.

Equatorial Guinea is the target for 0.16% (2014: 0.12%, 2013: 0.11%, 2012: 0.07%, 2011: 0.07%) of Portugal's exports and the country of origin of 0.31% (2014 : 0.21%, 2013: 0.29%, 2012: 0.53%, 2011: 0.16%) of the imports of Portugal.

Web links

Commons : Equatorial Guinean-Portuguese Relations  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Overview of diplomatic relations between Equatorial Guinea and Portugal on the website of the Diplomatic Institute of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs , accessed on May 4, 2019
  2. ↑ a b Portugal vai abrir embaixada na Guiné Equatorial ainda este ano - "Portugal announces the opening of an embassy in Equatorial Guinea for this year" , article from March 3, 2015 in the Portuguese online newspaper Observador, accessed on January 16, 2017
  3. ↑ Nueva sede de la embajada de Portugal - “New seat of the Portuguese embassy” , article of June 13, 2016 by the state press agency Guinea Ecuatorial Press, accessed on January 16, 2017
  4. ↑ Portugueses na Guiné Equatorial pedem embaixada de Portugal - "Portuguese in Equatorial Guinea want the Portuguese embassy" , article from July 31, 2014 in the international Portuguese newspaper Mundo Português , accessed on January 16, 2017
  5. ↑ Guiné Equatorial. Há quem lhe chame a “Suíça de África” e está à espera de mais portugueses - “Equatorial Guinea. Some call it the 'Switzerland of Africa' and it is waiting for more Portuguese ” , article from July 22, 2014 by the Portuguese business portal Dinheiro Vivo , accessed on January 16, 2017
  6. ↑ Portugal desea cooperar con Guinea Ecuatorial en el impulso de la agricultura - "Portugal would like to cooperate with Equatorial Guinea in revitalizing agriculture" , article of December 15, 2016 by the state press agency Guinea Ecuatorial Press, accessed on January 16, 2017
  7. ↑ Bilateral economic relations between Portugal and Equatorial Guinea , Excel file retrieved from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP , accessed on January 16, 2017