Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel will make an official visit to Sao Tome and Principe tomorrow, July 17th to 19th.
Paulo Rangel has scheduled meetings with President Carlos Vila Nova, Prime Minister Patrice Trovota and his counterpart Gareth Guadalupe.
The move is appropriate following Russia’s recent approach to a strategic position between the European, African and American continents, and due to its location in the Gulf of Guinea, an area of global importance.
On April 24, Sao Tome signed a military technology agreement with Russia that raised alarm bells, including training, deployment of weapons and military equipment, and visits by Russian aircraft, warships and ships to the archipelago.
Last weekRussian Deputy Foreign Minister and President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for the 49th anniversary celebrations of national independence, Mikhail Bagdanov, expressed his country’s full willingness to cooperate in areas deemed important by national authorities in Sao Tome.
Paulo Rangel’s agenda presents three projects in the field of defense cooperation: advising the higher structure of defense and armed forces; another with the Coast Guard; and the Third Army Engineering Corps, for construction.
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The geopolitical connectivity of small island states is directly linked to their ability to serve as logistical and military support points essential for maritime supremacy.
Part of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, São Tomé is located at the crossroads of essential sea lanes that play an important role in the surveillance and control of the South Atlantic.
Reacting to the news of the deal with Moscow, Paulo Rangel expressed his “strangeness” and “fear”.
“Since we are in an international situation where the Russian Federation is the author of a war of aggression, endangering the European continent, we openly express great concern”, the minister said at the time.
This position led the Sao Tome Prime Minister to respond, remembering that his country is independent and sovereign and no one dictates how it should interact with Russia, ensuring that the signed military agreement is in place and enforced.
“We are independent, sovereign, and nobody is going to dictate to us how we should interact with Russia,” announced Patrice Trovoda, adding, “There is no reason to worry. This is a normal, regular agreement, as it is with many countries. Above all, Portugal, you have no reason to worry. “
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