Credit:  https://twitter.com/PR_Paul_BIYA /   Jean-Yves Le Drian, France Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, meets with Cameroon President Paul Biya Oct. 24, 2019 in the capital city  Yaoundé .

By Gary Raynaldo /   DIPLOMATIC TIMES

Jean-Yves Le Drian,  French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs,  met with Paul Biya, President of the Republic of Cameroon Thursday in capital city Yaoundé in the context of the major national dialogue which took place from September 30 to October 4, aimed at providing a response to the crisis in the country’s English-speaking regions. The French Foreign Minister also scheduled to met the leaders of the political parties represented at the Cameroonian Parliament.  Minister Le Drian is visiting central African nation Cameroon from October 23 to 25. Cameroon is facing a prolonged separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions, where separatists want to create an independent nation.

🇨🇲🇫🇷 Avec Jean-Yves Le Drian, ministre français de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères, nous avons discuté ce jour de la coopération bilatérale entre le Cameroun et la France.#PaulBiya#Cameroun pic.twitter.com/hKfaZ4t2y2

— President Paul BIYA (@PR_Paul_BIYA) October 23, 2019

Minister Le Drian urged his interlocutors to maintain the momentum of the National Dialogue initiated. He also  expressed France’s support for the implementation of the conclusions of the major national dialogue, notably with respect to decentralization.

#Cameroun
Auprès du Président @PR_Paul_BIYA, j'encourage la poursuite de la dynamique positive au Cameroun. Nous souhaitons apporter une impulsion nouvelle à notre partenariat.@francediplo pic.twitter.com/aUVu6bwZ2X

— Jean-Yves Le Drian (@JY_LeDrian) October 23, 2019

Foreign minister Le Drian will also reaffirm France’s support for Cameroon in the fight against terrorism, in particular with respect to the fight against the terrorist group, Boko Haram, which continues to be a threat in the far north of the country. He will meet with representatives of the populations affected by the scourge. Le Drian will meet with French and Cameroonian entrepreneurs in Douala to talk about cooperation and economic development projects between the two countries, the French Ministry said.