Eq. Guinea leader jets in for 3-day visit

via Eq. Guinea leader jets in for 3-day visit – NewZimbabwe 22/01/2016

EQUATORIAL Guinea president Teodoro Obiang Nguema arrived in the country Friday evening for what Zimbabwean authorities said was a three-day working consultative visit with President Robert Mugabe.

Mugabe, who is outgoing AU chair, arrived in Harare late Friday night from a month long annual vacation in the Far East.

President Nguema was met at the Harare international airport by Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other government officials who included Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and Harare provincial affairs minister Miriam Chikukwa.

Mumbengegwi told state media Friday evening Nguema had come to consult the AU chair on various issues ahead of the AU summit set for the end of this month.

“The relationship between Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea are extremely close. You know our two leaders work very, very close together,” Mumbengegwi said.

“Now in this respect, you know President Mugabe is the chair of the African union …the two leaders have found it necessary to get together on a three-day working visit in order to consult on the various issues which they anticipate will come up during the summit.”

President Mugabe and Nguema, another long serving Africa leader, have maintained close ties since 2004 when Zimbabwean security claimed to have caught some coup plotters who were destined for Equatorial Guinea to topple Nguema.

The Harare government earlier this year sent police officers to the African country to assist on security of VIPs during the Afcon played beginning of last year.