"Cape Verde, we understand, will boost, with the support of all members, the functioning of the organization", said the official, in statements to Lusa on the sidelines of the VIII ministerial meeting of Zopacas, which took place this Tuesday in Mindelo, Cape Verdean island of São Vicente, lamenting the stagnation and discouragement caused by the lack of meetings held by the organization since 2013.
"I hope that Cape Verde will do a good job, taking into account the experience that it has, both the brother country, Cape Verde, and its leaders", added João Ernesto dos Santos.
The eighth ministerial meeting of the organization, which brought together 21 African countries and three from South America, took place throughout the day at the Mindelo Oceanographic Center and also marked the beginning of Cape Verde's two-year presidency of Zopacas.
The VII ministerial meeting (Foreign Affairs or External Relations) of the Member States of this organization took place in Montevidéu (Uruguay) in January 2013, the country that has assumed the presidency of Zopacas until now.
"With this meeting, we intend to revitalize and create conditions for the organization to assume, in fact, the responsibility for which it was created", the minister also highlighted, asking the Cape Verdean presidency to revitalize Zopacas.
Headquartered in Brasilia (Brazil), Zopacas was created by resolution of the United Nations in 1986, with the aim of preventing the introduction of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the region, as well as, through multilateralism, taking advantage of all the potential socioeconomic status of the Atlantic corridor.
In addition to Brazil and Cape Verde, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea are signatories to Zopacas (all members of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries).
The organization also includes South Africa, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Conakry, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo (Africa ), as well as Argentina and Uruguay (South America).
At this ministerial meeting, two "fundamental documents" will be adopted according to the Cape Verdean presidency, cases of the Mindelo Declaration and the Mindelo Action Plan, "which will guide the activities of Zopacas during the next two years".
