Signs military pact with São Tomé e Princípe; keen to renew ties with Guinea Bissau
Portugal is being described as ‘in check’ today as Russia continues to expand its influence in Africa, reeling in former Portuguese colonies.
According to reports, Russia has recently signed a military agreement with São Tomé e Príncipe: “Soon it could renew ties with Guinea Bissau. All this putting world security at risk and directly affecting diplomatic relations with Portugal”.
The military cooperation agreement between Russia and São Tomé and Príncipe was signed on April 24. It entered into force on Monday (May 5), albeit the information has only recently come clear.
The perceived secrecy has been criticised by Jorge Bom Jesus, leader of the MLSTP/PSD opposition in São Tomé.
“So far, the government has not transmitted the clauses of this agreement to the country”, he told reporters, stressing the country learnt the information ‘as a fait accompli’ through the foreign press.
A source in the São Tomé government has since confirmed to Lusa that the military technical agreement provides for training, the use of weapons and military equipment and visits by Russian aircraft, warships and vessels to the archipelago.
Jorge Bom Jesus believes “an agreement on this scale, in a very sensitive area and given the world context at the moment, requires interaction between the various sovereign bodies and the knowledge of the National Assembly for approval and ratification by the President of the Republic”.
The São Tomé opposition leader also notes that “there will be consequences” for the relationship between São Tomé and Príncipe and some international partners, namely Portugal, the European Union and the USA, considering “the context” and “the rift” that exists between these parties and Russia.
A source from São Tomé e Príncipe’s Ministry of Defence and Internal Administration confirmed to Lusa that the agreement has been signed ‘for an indefinite period of time’.
Guinea-Bissau to strengthen ties with Russia
Meanwhile, the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, is in Moscow, where he will meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The meeting will discuss Russia/ Guinea-Bissau cooperation, particularly in the field of mining and hydrocarbons.
The visit comes as part of today’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow.
May 9 marks the Russian victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, and also includes participation of soldiers from the Central African Republic, where Russia has been operating for some time.
Embaló and Putin already negotiated the cancellation of around 26.7 million dollars of Guinea-Bissau’s debt to Russia last March. “In return, the Guinean government is committed to selecting Russian companies to bid in public tenders under conditions as favourable as local companies”, explain reports.
The two countries already have a military co-operation agreement, signed in 2019 when Embaló was prime minister.
With Equatorial Guinea also showing “a willingness to collaborate with Russia”, three nations from the so-called Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) appear to be walking willingly into the Russian sphere.
This jeopardises diplomatic relations with Portugal, explains ZAP.AEIOU, due to the country’s international position being “on the side of Russia’s opponents”.
More than this, national security is also at stake as a result of the cooperation agreements Portugal has with these countries, due to their inclusion within the CPLP.
What does Russia want from Africa?
For decades, the African continent has been the scene of a geopolitical battle between the US, Russia and China. But the Russians seem to be increasingly asserting themselves as the dominant ‘great power’
In the case of São Tomé e Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, and other countries in the area, Russia is focused on strategic access to the Atlantic Ocean “which is very important in geo-political and military terms”.
But there are also political, diplomatic and economic interests: the African continent is rich in natural resources like gold, diamonds, uranium and oil. Russia has already expressed its intention to legalise the trade in ‘blood diamonds’ from the Central African Republic.
Studying viral diseases as weapons of war
Africa is also being used to study the effects of using viral diseases as weapons of war.
Russia has reportedly set up several military biological laboratories on African soil, notably near the border with Chad in the Central African Republic, according to data from the Robert Lansing Institute, which is dedicated to researching global threats to democracy.
Russia’s propaganda machine “may also be fuelling anti-Western sentiment in Africa, gaining allies in its battle against the US and promoting authoritarianism in the region.
“The increasing involvement of Russian military groups, such as Wagner, in the continent’s security issues are fuelling more conflicts and raising concerns about human rights violations.
“In addition, there is a growing militarisation of governments and a worrying increase in Russia’s influence over the region’s leaders and the future of several countries”, concludes ZAP’s report today.
For now, Portuguese diplomatic sources are insisting that none of this news will affect Portugal’s relationship with its former colonies.
A source for the ministry of foreign affairs has said: “For decades, Portugal has enjoyed multifaceted, intense and sustained cooperation with São Tomé e Príncipe, as well as with Guinea-Bissau and other Portuguese-speaking countries. Defence and security are pillars of this bilateral cooperation, which will continue and intensify, with particular emphasis on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, where both Portugal and the European Union have provided concrete support, negotiated with the countries of the region, to deal with the challenges they are currently facing”.
CNN Portugal however has heard from analysts that the situation simply shows the shambles of so-called Portuguese diplomacy.
The station digs at how “on the day that the President of the Republic suggested to a group of foreign journalists that Portugal should go ahead with reparations to its former colonies, the final details of military cooperation between Moscow and former colony São Tomé e Príncipe were being worked out.
“Days later, the agreement came into force; experts accuse Portuguese diplomacy of ‘inefficiency’ and warn that Moscow is preparing to exploit other Portuguese-speaking countries”.
“It’s not a surprise. This agreement shows the ineffectiveness of Portuguese diplomacy. This will further weaken the relationship between Portugal and São Tomé, and Russia will benefit from this. But it won’t stop there”, warns professor Tiago André Lopes, a specialist in International Relations.
“Former Portuguese colonies are the next target of Russia’s diplomacy”.
Sources: ZAP/ Lusa/ CNN Portugal/ noticiasaominuto/
