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Lusophone summit opens in Cape Verde

Tuesday July 17 2018
CapePix

Cape Verdean President Jorge Carlos Fonseca. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By ARNALDO VIEIRA

The 12th summit of the heads of state and government of the Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) started Tuesday in Cape Verde, the media reported.

DW Radio said that citizens’ mobility within the bloc and human rights in Equatorial Guinea were top on the agenda for the meeting.

The summit was being held in Santa Maria city on the Sal Island, DW Radio confirmed.

The summit brings together delegates from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, Guinea Bissau and Sao Tome and Principe.

The language

Lusophones are people who speak the Portuguese language, either as native speakers or as learners. The Lusophone world is mainly a legacy of the Portuguese Empire, although the Portuguese and Brazilian diaspora communities have also played a role in spreading the language.

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The previous summit was held in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital in 2016 when Cape Verde took over the bloc’s presidency

“On Monday, CPLP ministers counsel met and made recommendations to the head of states and they will discuss and approve the Santa Maria declaration of mobility,” DW Radio quoted the Cape Verdean Foreign Affairs minister, Mr Luís Filipe, saying.

Cape Verdean President Jorge Carlos Fonseca was quoted saying the meeting would give special attention to the Equatorial Guinea delegation, and especially its president.

Associate observers

Equatorial Guinea adopted Portuguese as one of its official languages in 2007 and was admitted to CPLP in 2014.

Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovak, Uruguay, Mauritius Island, Senegal, Turk, Japan and Georgia are the bloc’s associate observers.

During the Cape Verde summit, the UK, France, Italy, Andorra, Luxemburg, Serbia, Argentine, Chile and the Ibero-American States organisation for Education, Science and Culture would be admitted as CPLP associate observers.

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