Minister João Gomes Cravinho and Secretary of State Francisco André in the context of the CPLP summit

On the sidelines of the CPLP's Summit, that takes place this Sunday (27^th of August 2023) on Sao Tome e Principe, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (SENEC), Francisco André, will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Communities from Sao Tome e Principe, Gareth Guadalupe. The implementation of the Strategic Cooperation Program 2024/2025 will be one of the central points addressed during this meeting.

On Friday afternoon, the Secretary of State, Francisco André, has a scheduled meeting with Sao Tome e Principe's Minister of Culture, Education and Sciences, Isabel Abreu, during which, future perspectives of support from the Portuguese Cooperation to Sao Tome e Principe's education sector will be addressed, after completion of the Integrated Support Project of the Education Sector of the country.

Moreover, as part of this trip, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (SENEC) will visit some projects from the area of cooperation, such as the project Saúde Para Todos ("Health for All"). Furthermore, on this afternoon, the SENEC will participate on the inauguration of the rehabilitated Água Grande Polyclinic Center and Maternal-Child Facility.

Out of the bilateral agenda of the Secretary of State Francisco André, further emphasis on the ceremony of delivering the publications for the National Reading Plan (Plano National de Leitura), that will take place Saturday afternoon on the Portuguese Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Português), as well as on the singing of the Memorandum of Understanding of the Project +Colabora. As announced by Minister João Gomes Cravinho, during the last bilateral visit to the country in February, Portugal will support, through the Project +Colabora, the development of Sao Tome e Principe's public administration capabilities in areas such as public administration, agriculture and rural development, gender equality and women's rights, justice, youth and sports, public finances, labour and social issues.

In regards to CPLP's work, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation participates in the 28^th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers, scheduled for Friday morning, which precedes the Summit, set to occur on Sunday, which will be joined by the Heads of State and Government from the 9 different countries that compose the Community, that will formalize the presidency of Sao Tome e Principe for two years.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, will be in Sao Tome e Principe starting Saturday, a week after accompanying the President of the Republic in his official visits of Poland and Ukraine, to participate in the works of the Summit, whose Portuguese delegation will be held by the President of the Republic and the Prime-Minister.