PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2023) French President Emmanuel Macron will start a five-day working visit to Congo, Gabon, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday.
According to the Elysee Palace, the visit aims to enhance bilateral cooperation with countries in the region. Macron will participate in the summit on the protection of equatorial forests from March 1-2 in Gabon. Then he will visit Angola to mark the launch of Franco-Angolan agricultural partnership. From March 3-4, he will visit Congo and the DRC to give impetus to cooperation in education, health care, science, culture and defense, the statement said.
The presidential visit takes place amid the surge in anti-French sentiment and the growth of Chinese and Russian influence in Africa. Last year, French troops withdrew from Mali, where they were deployed since 2014 as a part of counter-terrorist endeavor. In January, Burkina Faso officially ended all France-led operations on its territory, where the French forces were present under the 2018 agreement according to which Paris would help the country to combat Islamist militant groups. At the same time, Russia and China are increasing trade volumes with African countries replacing France as leading partners on the continent.
