Luanda – Angolan minister of Foreign Affairs Téte António Wednesday in Luanda said that Angola and Russia will improve cooperation mechanisms, identifying new areas as part of bilateral relations.
Téte António was speaking during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, who has been in Angola since Tuesday.
Angola’s top diplomat pointed out, among others, the areas of agriculture, manufacturing industry and agro-industry as some of the priorities for the growth of the country.
According to the minister, the two countries are connected by traditionally friendly relations, a guarantee for a frank and friendly dialogue on bilateral relations and common interest.
The Angolan official said that it was an opportunity to analyse cooperation prospects, including the holding of the inter-governmental commission meeting to take place, in principle, in Luanda.
“Angola favors inclusive dialogue, political commitments based on national interests, constitutional restoration (…) always respecting the principle of non-interference”, said the top diplomat.
He added that the Angolan State defends negotiation as a mutually accepted solution to end the conflicts in the world, giving priority to respect for international law.
Téte António noted that the Angolan government is concerned about human casualties in different conflicts, as well as the destruction of infrastructure.
The minister added that Angola encourages Russia to give a "chance" in the conflict with Ukraine, establishing a cease-fire that could restore a climate of world peace.
In his turn, the Russian minister, Sergey Lavrov, stated that relations with Angola are based on the spirit of solidarity and a strategic partnership.
Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian government appreciates Angola's balanced positions in the United Nations, specifically those linked to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian official also spoke of the reasons behind the conflict, stating that it is a matter of defending the territorial integrity and the populations residing in the border regions.
“To protect people's lives and its own security, Russia was forced to intervene militarily,” he added.
Angola and Russia’s privileged relations date back to October 8, 1976, the date on which the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was signed in Moscow, at the time capital of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
On 16 November 2004, the two countries signed, in Luanda, an agreement for the re-launch of cooperation in the economic and technical-scientific domains and, the following day, created the intergovernmental commission for economic, technical-scientific and commercial cooperation.
Currently, cooperation is most significant in the sectors of energy, geology and mining, higher education, staff training, defense and security, telecommunications and information technologies, fisheries, transport, finance and banking.
By this time, it is estimated that at least 1,000 Russians are residing in Angola, while 1,500 Angolans live in Russia.
