Praia, Dec. 4, 2025 (Lusa) - The South Atlantic countries will strengthen technical dialogue on maritime safety and prepare for a ministerial meeting in Brazil in 2026, the archipelago's Defence Minister, Janine Lélis, announced on Thursday.
A two-day meeting, which began today in Praia, Cabo Verde, aims to "generate contributions for the future Rio de Janeiro declaration and its action plan, which will be adopted at the 9th ministerial meeting to be held in Brazil in 2026," she said.
The minister was speaking at the opening of a technical cooperation forum of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone (Zopacas), bringing together national and international experts, representatives of government institutions, multilateral organisations, academia, defence and security.
"Together, we are building capacity to protect and affirm the South Atlantic as an area that rejects confrontation and favours peaceful solutions," she said.
The cooperation covers surveillance, interoperability, and coordinated responses to threats in the South Atlantic; public security and combating maritime crime, including illegal fishing, drug and human trafficking; and oceanographic studies and research to strengthen the scientific knowledge and technical capabilities of Zopacas countries.
The meeting should also result in a regional mapping of technical capabilities and needs, facilitating the mobilisation of support and resources, the consolidation of scientific cooperation networks between member countries and commitments to series of projects, particularly in the areas of oceanographic studies, continental shelf mapping and marine spatial planning.
Janine Lélis considered that Zopacas "remains an indispensable platform for strengthening cooperative security, mutual trust and strategic stability in the South Atlantic".
"In an international context marked by new transnational threats, from maritime organised crime to energy and environmental vulnerabilities, it is imperative to consolidate national and series capabilities that enable effective and coordinated responses," she said.
In this regard, she stressed that it is through knowledge sharing, mutual learning, capacity building, and institutional strengthening that these countries will be able to build their capabilities, accelerate sustainable development, and ensure that no one is left behind in building solutions to common challenges.
Brazil's Secretary of State for Multilateral and Political Affairs, Carlos Márcio Cozendey, said that, in the run-up to the 2026 ministerial meeting, the goal is to "increase the density of cooperation within the zone."
"For Brazil, the South Atlantic is a strategic space. It connects us to the African continent, to our South American neighbours and also to Antarctica. It is an environment rich in biodiversity that we must protect collectively, a corridor for commercial, cultural and scientific exchange and a platform for mutual understanding and opportunity," he pointed out.
Zopacas is made up of 24 countries: Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in South America, and the rest in Africa, including the Portuguese-speaking countries of Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Sao Tome.
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