The Minister of External Relations, Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo received in separate audiences ambassadors of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mahmoud Bin Hussein Qattan, Italy’s Stefano Pontesilli and Nikolay L. Ratsiborinsky, of Russia as well as the outgoing UN Resident Representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Cameroon, Aïda Haile Mariam.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mahmoud Bin Hussein Qattan declared his country’s intention to foster relations in the economic and commercial sectors. After the second audience, Italy’s Ambassador to Cameroon, Stefano Pontesilli said: “… restoring friendship which gets stronger every year and knowing how Italy can help Cameroon on its path to development,” was the raison d’être of his courtesy visit with External Relations Minister. Stefano Pontesilli and Pierre Mokouko Mbonjo discussed possibilities of Italy’s Trade Minister to come to Cameroon with 30 companies to discuss private sector partnership with Cameroonian companies.
Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo and Russsia’s Nikolay L. Ratsiborinsky discussed burning international issues, besides assessing the dynamics of bilateral cooperation as per the protocol both countries had signed with regards to political issues. He revealed that his country is working on the arrival of experts in the fields of energy and agriculture to Cameroon.
The situation of refugees in Cameroon is stable and the outgoing UN Resident Representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Cameroon, Aïda Haile Mariam, said most of them are resident in the Eastern and Adamawa Regions. The country, she said, is host to over 100,000 refugees. “We do also have about 7000 refugees in the urban areas of Yaounde and Douala and about 3000 asylum seekers of various nationalities,” said Aïda Haile Mariam.
