Guinea-Bissau’s suspension and the succession of the rotating presidency of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) will headline the organisation’s Council of Ministers meeting, scheduled for 19 August in Dili, East Timor.
The gathering of foreign ministers next week will be preceded by meetings of focal points and the Permanent Concertation Committee, which begin on Thursday, Joaquim Fernandes, coordinator-general of the Commission for the CPLP Rotating Presidency, said at a press conference.
On Guinea-Bissau, a draft resolution will be considered within the framework of the CPLP’s commitment to stability, constitutional order and democratic principles, Fernandes said, noting that member states continue to pursue dialogue efforts.
Guinea-Bissau was suspended from the lusophone organisation in December following a coup that ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and interrupted the electoral process, blocking the release of results from the November 2025 general elections. The CPLP presidency, which had been held by that West African country, subsequently passed to East Timor.
Asked by Lusa news agency whether the CPLP foreign ministers would address the organisation’s next presidency for the 2027–29 period, the Timorese official acknowledged the matter was sensitive but confirmed that the Council of Ministers meeting would discuss it as well.
At the Bissau summit in 2025, CPLP heads of state and government failed to reach consensus on the attribution of the next rotating presidency, with some members backing Equatorial Guinea and others supporting Brazil.
In an interview with Lusa in July, East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta argued that the rotating presidency should fall to Brazil.
The 31st ordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers will also address the CPLP’s strategic agenda for the 2027–33 period and the drafting of a New Strategic Agenda for the Consolidation of Economic Cooperation covering 2028–33.
“Guinea-Bissau was suspended from the lusophone organisation in December following a coup that ousted Umaro Sissoco Embaló and interrupted the electoral process, blocking the release of results from the November 2025 general elections.”
The signing of an Administrative Agreement for the Implementation of the CPLP Multilateral Social Security Convention is also scheduled, Fernandes said.
The agreement will allow for the operationalisation of the Convention and strengthen social protection and the portability of social security rights for citizens across the community’s member states, he explained.
During the meeting, ministers will also consider a declaration on the Consolidation of the Democratic Rule of Law and the Challenges Facing the CPLP, intended to reaffirm member states’ commitment to democratic principles, the rule of law and the strengthening of political and diplomatic concertation, Fernandes added.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=529165
