Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with Denis Sassou N’Guesso,  President of the Republic of the Congo.  (credit: Judith Litvine/MEAE)

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is visiting Brazzaville in the central-African nation Republic of Congo today and tomorrow.  The visit, at the invitation of the Congolese president, falls within the framework of the celebration of 80th anniversary of the “Brazzaville Manifesto” published on October 27, 1940 by General de Gaulle, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement.  Minister Le Drain  will take part in the opening ceremony of the international symposium “De Gaulle et Brazzaville, une mémoire partagée entre la France, le Congo et l’Afrique.”  During the visit, Le Drian will be received by President Denis Sassou N’Guesso and will meet with several heads of state and key figures from the region who have been invited to the international symposium.  These meetings will notably provide an opportunity to discuss international support for the holding of elections and the implementation of the peace agreement in the Central African Republic, according to the MEFA.  The Congo is France’s biggest trade surplus in Central Africa and has the 4th biggest market share of French products in French-speaking Africa. France is the Congo’s second biggest supplier, after China. French foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Congo–€4.6 billion at the end of 2015 versus €2.1 billion at the end of 2014–makes France the country’s leading foreign investor. Nearly 200 companies with a French stake are working in the Republic of the Congo employing approximately 15,000 people.

TOTAL Oil Has The Strongest Presence in the Republic of Congo 

TOTAL has the strongest presence in the country and launched a new off-shore drilling project in the Moho-Nord field in May 2017.  Congo is Africa’s third-largest oil producer, pumping an average 324,000bl/d in 2019 according to Opec based on secondary sources, although production fell to 272,000bl/d in May 2020 as part of Opec-led production cuts.

Prior to his visit Brazzaville,  Minister Le Drian wrapped up a visit to west African nation Mali where he met Transitional President of Mali Bah N’daw , Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, and  his counterpart, Zeini Moulaye, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.