Africa-Press – Angola. The Council of Ministers of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) expressed, this Friday, deep concern about the political situation in Guinea-Bissau, following the coup d’état of November 26, and recommended the temporary suspension of the country from the organization.
Meeting in an extraordinary virtual session, the body chaired by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities of São Tomé and Príncipe, Ilza Amado Vaz, analyzed the Guinean political situation and condemned the interruption of the ongoing electoral process.
It classified the act as a “serious violation” of democratic principles and the sovereign will of the people.
The Council rejected the institutional rupture that occurred in the country and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all people detained in connection with the crisis.
It also defended the urgent restoration of constitutional order, considered essential for peace, stability, and development.
Among the decisions taken, the following stand out: the creation of a High-Level Good Offices Mission, to be sent to Guinea-Bissau as soon as possible, and the recommendation for the temporary suspension of the Member State, a matter to be decided at the next Conference of Heads of State and Government.
The body also suggested the transfer of the pro tempore presidency of the CPLP to another country.
In the final communiqué, the Council reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to democracy, legality, and solidarity among Member States, as well as its willingness to support initiatives that allow for the restoration of institutional normality in Guinea-Bissau.
It also underlined its commitment to the principles of peace, democratic governance, and the rule of law, expressed in the Constitutive Declaration and Statutes of the CPLP, and reiterated its solidarity with the Guinean people.
The ministers agreed on the need to accelerate the ratification of the revised Statutes, approved at the XVI Extraordinary Meeting held in Luanda, in 2023.
The heads of diplomacy from Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal and Timor-Leste participated in the session, as well as the executive secretary of the CPLP, Fátima Jardim, permanent representatives and employees of the Executive Secretariat.
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