The President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella who arrived in Yaounde on March 17, 2016, is the highest Italian official ever to have visited Cameroon.

Barely four hours after setting foot on Cameroonian soil, President Sergio Mattarella was at State House in Yaounde where for over 60 minutes, the two men seemed to have engaged a very significant turnaround in Cameroon-Italy relations which, although already so good, have a potential to be even better.

Since 1962 when the two countries established diplomatic relations, there have been high-level visits by officials of the two countries and although President Biya has visited Rome several times on the invitation of The Vatican, he has often availed himself of Rome stays to discuss with Italian officials and so President Mattarella’s State visit deservedly carried all the accoutrements and accompaniments of a most triumphant event beginning at the airport arrival ceremony with a 21-gun salute and then at State House with a thick red carpet stretched out right to the limousine from which he stepped out at exactly 4.15 pm and the impressive waterworks which gave State House precincts a real feel of feasting.

Upon arrival, the Italian President was welcomed by President Biya before the two headed for the latter’s third floor office  where they went into a conclave for some thirty minutes before other senior officials accompanying them joined in the discussion. What is remarkable about this meeting is the fact that in just 60 minutes of talks, cooperation between the two countries had been given a significant booster if one were to go by the number and quality of the Accords and Agreements signed after the meeting by accompanying ministers and other top officials, under the watchful eyes of the two Presidents.

There are altogether five agreements, ranging from the exemption of visas for holders of diplomatic and service passports of the two countries, a framework agreement on cultural, scientific and technical cooperation, a framework document on the use of resources devolving from the cancellation of Cameroon’s debt by Italy, a protocol agreement between the University of Padua and Cameroon’s National Advanced School of Public Works as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Padua and Cameroon’s Ministry of Urban Development and Housing on the promotion of sustainable town planning in Cameroon.

Mr Mario Giro, Italy’s Minister-Delegate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of Cooperation and Development signed the agreements on visa exemptions and cultural cooperation while his country’s Ambassador to Cameroon Samuela Isopi signed the one on debt cancellation windfalls and the Rector of the University of Padua Professor Rosario Rizutto signed for the other two. The signatories on the Cameroonian side included External Relations Minister Lejeune Mbella Mbella (visas), Jacques Fame Ndongo (cultural cooperation), Louis Paul Motaze (use of debt relief windfalls), Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi (University of Padua and the National Advanced School of Public Works) and Jean Claude Mbwentchou (MoU with University of Padua).

The Agreement on visa exemptions, a copy of which Cameroon Tribune was privy, for instance states that “nationals of either contracting party who are holders of valid diplomatic or service passports and not accredited to the territory of the other contracting party, shall be exempted from the vise requirement required to enter, transit, stay and exit from the territory of the other Contracting Party for up to 90 days for one or several times, within a period of 180 days. For nationals from the Republic of Cameroon, the 90 days will start to run from the date of entry into the Schengen Space.”