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Ambassador Johnson Engages the Equato-Guinean Press Community

On June 29, as part of the planned events due the Independence Day, Ambassador Donald C. Johnson invited the press community to join him in an informal meeting on the July Fourth and the American values.  Journalists from Televisión Guinea Ecuatorial, Radio Guinea Ecuatorial, La Gaceta, Ebano, La Verdad and Horizontes plus members of media-related associations REDPERSIDA (Red de Periodistas Contra el Sida), APPE (Asociación de Periodistas Profesionales Ecuatoguineanos) and ASOPGE (Asociación de Periodistas de Guinea Ecuatorial), attended the meeting.

During the two-hour encounter, representatives of the local press community approached questions ranging from the history of the United States; the U.S. influence during the post-war era and, in particular, the influence of the United States in the movements of decolonization in Africa; to relations between the United States and Equatorial Guinea. As regards bilateral relations, Ambassador Johnson explained to the press that the American presence in Equatorial Guinea exceeds the scope of the economic relationship and that it would constitute a reductive view of U.S. policy in Equatorial to limit the relationship to the existence of crude oil and gas. According to Ambassador Johnson, crude oil and gas matter are but a part of increasing U.S. commitment to Equatorial Guinea. The United States is willing to support Equatorial Guinea in its strides toward equitable distribution of the gains of economic success and prosperity. Among U.S. priority commitments in Equatorial Guinea, Ambassador Johnson highlighted the issue of human rights, democracy and good governance, and the development of a free press, which are key vectors of American diplomacy worldwide.
 
Since its reopening, the U.S. Embassy in Malabo has been supporting press associations and the maturation of a free press in Equatorial Guinea. An example of this is the participation of Ambassador Donald C. Johnson in the organization and celebration of World Press Freedom Day, ion May 3. 2007. Likewise, in June 2006, the U.S. Embassy in Malabo organized a seminar, directed to members of the press, university professors and students, entitled “The Role of the Media in Emergent Democracies,” with well-known U.S. News & World Report journalist Eduardo Cué as lecturer. The 2006 seminar, just as the recent informal discussion with Ambassador Johnson and the press community, was were both enthusiastically welcome by participants. In a show of committed support to the media, during this year’s July Fourth Independence Day reception, Embassy guests included an important group of local journalists. (Photo gallery)