Pretoria - Angola and South Africa on Thursday signed two agreements in the areas of higher education and culture.

The signing of the agreements was witnessed by the President of Angola, João Lourenço, and the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, as part of the Angolan statesman's visit to South Africa.

The agreement in the field of higher education aims to promote the exchange of information and publications on higher education, encourage cooperation and partnerships between institutions and training.

It also provides for the promotion of direct cooperation and partnerships between the parties' higher education institutions, including visits by researchers, specialists, academics and students (both undergraduate and postgraduate).

Meanwhile, the main objective of the memorandum in the cultural sector is to implement the commitments made by the South African and Angolan Ministers of Arts and Culture.

The cooperation between Angola and South Africa has solid historical and strategic foundations, stemming from mutual support during the struggle for independence and against apartheid.

The two countries signed the General Agreement for Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation in Luanda in 1998.

Several other legal instruments of cooperation have also been signed between the two countries, including the creation of the Bilateral Cooperation Commission in 2000, a diplomatic mechanism of crucial importance that has been the main means of interaction in recent years, with four meetings to date, held alternately in Pretoria and Luanda, which have enabled cooperation activities to be carried out.AFL/RB/ART/AMP