According to a document to which Lusa had access, the rotating presidency of São Tomé has already sent invitations to the Presidents of the organization's member states to participate in this meeting, on September 23, on the sidelines of the week of high-level debate at the United Nations, which takes place in the week between September 23 and 28. Other diplomatic sources have said that the issue of Guinea-Bissau assuming the leadership of the organization in 2025 will be one of the items on the agenda.
However, according to the ambassador of São Tomé and Príncipe to the CPLP, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the organization until 2025, the proposed date of September 23 may not occur, because the day of the informal summit "will have to be adjusted in accordance with the agendas of the heads of state".
When asked about the issues on the agenda for this meeting, Esterline Género said she did not know what they were so far, but assured that they would not be related to the future presidency of the organization.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, an informal meeting of CPLP foreign ministers and foreign relations is usually held, but this year, the São Tomé Presidency felt it would be important to hold an informal summit of heads of state and government of the nine countries, other diplomatic sources said.
The aim, according to the same sources, is to make a definitive decision on the location of the next summit, which will be in the country that will assume the presidency of the organization.
At the last meeting of heads of state and government, which took place in São Tomé and Príncipe in August 2023, when that country assumed the presidency, it was decided that Guinea-Bissau would be the next member state to assume leadership, in 2025.
However, given the political situation in that country, the member states must now decide on the location of the next summit, which will be in the country that will assume the future presidency of the community for two years.
Earlier this year, the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and External Relations of the CPLP confirmed the location, Guinea-Bissau, and the date of 17 July 2025, for the next summit.
However, according to diplomatic sources, the final decision lies with the heads of state and government. Hence the scheduling of this informal meeting in New York.
The member states of the CPLP are Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor.
