Ecuador announced plans to open embassies in five African countries, three of them before the year ends.
The South America-Africa Cooperation Forum (ASA) met Monday at the Union of South American Nations headquarters in Quito, to discuss the strengthening of bilateral relations. This meeting comes as Ecuador has announced that it is planning on opening embassies in three African countries by the end of this year, and two more in 2015.
"This year we will open embassies in Algeria, Angola, Nigeria, and at the beginning of next year, possibly, Ethiopia and Kenya," said Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño. Ecuador has recently closed its embassies in Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands because, according to Patiño, “there is no reciprocity.”
Ecuador historically has had a diplomatic presence in Egypt and South Africa. The embassies set to open will include 100 members of the diplomatic corps who joined the service last week. They are among the 170 recently incorporated personnel who are from traditionally excluded groups of society, such as indigenous, Afro-Ecuadorans and people with physical disabilities.
On their inclusion, Patiño said, “This is fundamental because when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentically represents the ethnic, cultural and historic diversity of its population, it is able to express itself better abroad, it understands the issues better.”
At the ASA meeting, Patiño urged African nations to move away from dependence on the United States and European nations, assuring leaders present that the key to mutual development is found in the cooperation of nations of the South.
Leaders from Unasur and the African Union (AU) were present at the conference.
The ASA was an initiative pushed forward by former presidents of Venezuela and Brazil, Hugo Chavez and Luis Inacio da Silva, respectively, in 2006.
According to Prensa Latina, prior to the creation of ASA, Ecuadoran-African relations were not independent of the United States and Europe, the very same powers which have limited regional growth due to a history of pillage and colonization.
Patiño stressed in the meeting that Ecuador and Africa should engage in dealings directly, and identify key areas of cooperation as well as develop effective mechanisms for pushing forward projects.
The delegate of the UA, Jean Baptiste Natama, voiced his agreement with Patiño, saying, “We should organize less meetings and focus on concrete tasks.”
This meeting occurred two days before the inauguration of former President of Colombia Ernesto Samper to Secretary-General of Unasur.
Samper has emphasized that both Latin America and Africa are regions of great material wealth, and that the two regions need to discuss geopolitical issues of great importance, such as reforming the United Nations.
He also said, “We have to prioritize projects that will let us benefit from this cooperation,” agreeing that a more effective system to implement policies needs to be put in action.
The ASA occurred in preparation for a bi-regional conference to be held in 2016. Prior to this meeting, conferences were held in Nigeria, Venezuela, and Equatorial Guinea.
