Luanda - Angola and Sweden on Tuesday in Stockholm signed a memorandum of understanding on co-operation in the energy sector, following a meeting on political consultations, as part of the strengthening of the partnership between the two countries.
The agreement, according to a press release distributed to ANGOP on Wednesday, was signed by the Secretary of State for Energy, Arlindo Manuel Carlos, and Hakan Jevrell, Secretary of State for Trade of the Kingdom of Sweden.
The meeting on Political Consultation Angola/Sweden was co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Mendonça, and the State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Jevrell.
The occasion was used for the parties to analyse bilateral, regional and multilateral aspects, with a focus on issues related to the political and security situation in the Great Lakes region.
Within the bilateral framework, the parties looked at the economic panorama, emphasising the Energy, Transport, Agriculture, Fisheries, Education and Tourism sectors as drivers of economic partnership.
The meeting also discussed the importance of the Lobito Corridor, which links Angola's southern regions with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the north-west with Zambia.
Speaking at the ceremony, Esmeralda Mendonça said that she hoped the parties would be more engaged, especially on development issues for the Lobito Corridor, as well as sharing knowledge on the management and implementation of commercial, industrial and economic development mechanisms.
As for multilateralism, the parties analysed the state of political and diplomatic relations between Angola and the European Union, based on the principle of reciprocity and mutual respect.
Esmeralda Mendonça's trip to Stockholm was the result of the need to update existing commitments between the two countries in order to boost development and establish new cooperation strategies.
The source said that the working meeting was a symbol of the fruitful relationship between the two countries, which dates back to the early days of Angola's independence, and which has increasingly evolved to new levels of socio-economic development. FMA/ART/DAN/DOJ
