Obiang invites Putin in Moscow to visit Equatorial Guinea

Eduardo Gonzalez

The President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, has reminded in Moscow that his country is not a state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in order to invite the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to visit his country “without running the risk of to be arrested.” “.

“Russia has always been a true friend of Equatorial Guinea and the entire African continent, so I take this opportunity to express my special thanks to the Russian people and the Russian government for the important work they have done for countries that, when safe, “Nations have dictated their own rules,” Obiang said last Thursday during a speech to the lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, according to the Equatorial Guinea government website.

“We are ready to host the Russia-Africa Summit in our modern African Union city, Sipopo, in Malabo, where we have the necessary infrastructure to hold all the conferences we have hosted in the past,” continued he away.

For this reason, he assured, the Government of Equatorial Guinea would welcome the participation of Russian deputies in the event, especially “that of His Excellency Vladimir Putin, whose personal presence would be a great honor for our people.” “Since Equatorial Guinea is not a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International “We have all the necessary conditions” for the Russian president to visit the country without running the risk of being arrested, he warned.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023 for his alleged role in the systematic deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, which is expected to result in significant restrictions on his international travel.

Obiang traveled to Moscow to attend, together with Putin, the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week (REN), which ended this Saturday. In November 2023, the president of Equatorial Guinea met with the Russian leader at the Kremlin leader's country house outside Moscow. Russia has increased its presence on the African continent in recent years, holding the second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg in July 2023, where Putin announced the opening of embassies in several African countries, including Equatorial Guinea.