Equatorial Guinea President Stresses Preventive Diplomacy at United Nations General Assembly

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, stressed the importance of inclusive dialogue and preventive diplomacy as means of securing international peace and security.

"We cannot guarantee international peace and security as long as the focus of violence creates insecurity for the lives of all peoples," said the President. "Equatorial Guinea, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, will support and will always prefer preventive diplomacy in order to prevent conflict, to promote dialogue, and to promote working together for the peaceful settlement of conflicts. Through dialogue, working together, and tolerance between the parties, the United Nations can address the world's problems."

The President also highlighted Equatorial Guinea's open political process, including an annual National Dialogue. "The transition of the country to a multi-party system has been characterized by a democratic openness, an inclusive process, and ongoing dialogue open to all," said the President.

The President focused on the great strides Equatorial Guinea is making with the Horizon 2020 Development Plan, which is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He outlined the "construction of economic infrastructure such as roads, ports, airports, environmental sanitation, modern hospitals, professional training centers, universities, potable water, [and] electrification," among other advancements.

The President is actively engaged in a busy series of meetings on the margins of the UNGA. He has met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, José Borrell, among other officials.

He also attended the meetings of the United Nations Security Council, of which Equatorial Guinea is a non-permanent member, to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea and Iran and the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

President Nguema highlighted that Equatorial Guinea does not have, nor does it intend to have, weapons of mass destruction, and called for peaceful, inclusive dialogue to resolve international conflicts.

The Security Council meeting was chaired by his counterpart the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

At the UN, Equatorial Guinea has focused through its Permanent Representative, Antolio Ndong Mba, on negotiations and dialogue for the peaceful resolution of armed conflicts; active participation in strategies to combat terrorism, illegal human trafficking, drug trafficking, organized and cross-border crime, endemic diseases and pandemics, extremism, xenophobia, racial discrimination and corruption; active defense of human rights; active participation in mitigating catastrophic effects of climate change; and active participation in the execution of the UN 2030 and African Union 2063 agendas, in parallel with their own Horizon 2020 national program.

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 now contribute to the global energy supply. Equatorial Guinea is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Africa's third-largest oil producer. Equatorial Guinea is now working to serve as a pillar of stability and security in its region of West Central Africa as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The country hosted the 2014 and 2011 Summit of the African Union. For more information, visit http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com.

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SOURCE Equatorial Guinea