On March 23, 2021, the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the Republic of Benin and Non-resident Ambassador to Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Niger, Belén Orsini, presented her credentials to the President of the Togolese Republic, Faure Gnassingbé, at the Presidential Palace in the Lomé capital city, reaffirming the excellent diplomatic relations these two countries have maintained since 1990.
Ambassador Orsini was received in a private audience by President Gnassingbé, and reaffirmed, on behalf of President Nicolás Maduro, the Bolivarian Government’s will to deepen mechanisms for mutual support, complementarity and solidarity as part of the South-South cooperation.
Orsini seized the opportunity to express Venezuela’s firm position in the defense of multilateralism and the Charter of the United Nations as the foundations of respectful, sovereign relations among the nations of the world, a vision shared by the Togolese Republic.
The Venezuelan diplomat also highlighted the great courage of the Togolese comprehensive community doctors who graduated in Venezuela through the Fundayacucho International Scholarship Agreement, and who have been deployed amid the COVID-19 pandemic as a good example of cooperation and friendship.
President Gnassingbé requested the Venezuelan ambassador to convey his warm regard to President Maduro and the Venezuelan people, and congratulated Venezuela’s management against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding bilateral cooperation, President Gnassingbé expressed particular interest in Venezuela’s successful model to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the South American country’s social programs that provide healthcare to the Venezuelan people.
Likewise, he stressed the Togolese Government’s priority to build houses, mainly in Lomé, and said experiences such as Venezuela’s Housing Mission can be a great contribution to Togo’s progress.
Furthermore, the Togolese president expressed his interest in coordinating technical support and exchange of experiences in the agricultural area, especially cocoa and coffee.
The Togolese Republic will celebrate its 61 years of independence on April 27. The Port of Lomé is the only deep-water port in West Africa that can receive third generation ships. Togo has important phosphate and iron deposits, and its main agricultural products are coffee, cocoa bean, cotton, peanuts, and coconuts.