Lisbon, July 12, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's foreign minister told Lusa on Sunday that Equatorial Guinea’s membership of the CPLP is currently stable and that, in bilateral discussions, explanatory work can be carried out.
When asked by Lusa why some people still contest Equatorial Guinea’s membership of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), notably analysts interviewed by Lusa to mark the organisation’s 30th anniversary, on the grounds that the country has removed the death penalty from its Criminal Code, is in the process of removing it from the Constitution, and permits the practice under the Military Code, he replied: “It is a member, like all the others”, but added that it “naturally” has “some way to go”, particularly with regard to the Portuguese language.
“From the moment it was accepted as a member, acknowledged as a member, it is obviously just another of the countries within the CPLP,” he noted.
Equatorial Guinea joined the CPLP in 2014 at the summit in Dili, Timor-Leste, and undertook to comply with an accession roadmap that included investing in the teaching of Portuguese in the country and abolishing the death penalty.
However, Rangel explained that, whilst there is respect for the sovereignty of states and their domestic policies, “there are often discussions aimed precisely at promoting democracy, human rights and international law”.
Furthermore, he continued, while respecting the sovereignty of CPLP member states, they “also engage in bilateral discussions on the sidelines of multilateral meetings to offer guidance and share a vision on what they believe could be improved within the framework of a community that seeks to assert itself internationally through certain values”.
“But, quite frankly, I believe that Equatorial Guinea is currently in good standing as a CPLP member state,” he concluded.
In addition to Equatorial Guinea, the CPLP, which marks its 30th anniversary on 17 July, comprises Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.
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