Luanda - The Angolan ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Miguel Bembe, on Tuesday, expressed the country's interest in exploring new areas of bilateral cooperation with mutual advantages, namely in the field of justice and human rights.
Speaking during a meeting he held with the director general for African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, ambassador Fesseha Shawul Gebere, the Angolan diplomat said that the country is available to discuss cooperation opportunities in the agriculture and agro-industry sectors, including the creation of industrial parks, according to a note from the Angolan diplomatic representation that ANGOP had access to.
Miguel Bembe highlighted that “Angola would like to acquire Ethiopia's experience in agri-food/agro-processing industry and technology. Ethiopia would provide the Angolan side with more information on its potential in these areas, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry and in the environment sector, specifically in the recycling of solid waste”.
The Ambassador described the existing bilateral political-diplomatic relations as excellent, but recognized the need for their expansion, in order to correspond to the current socio-economic development and the strategic influence of both countries on the African continent.
In this context, he underlined that during his mandate as Angola's ambassador to Ethiopia, in line with the strategic priorities of the country's foreign policy, he defined as one of his priorities working to strengthen and consolidate the bonds of friendship that unite the respective peoples, as well as and cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
During the conversation, they also talked on existing legal instruments between Angola and Ethiopia, namely the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, of May 1977, complemented by the Memorandum of Understanding of September 1998 and the Commercial Agreement on the Exchange of Products and Goods, of January 1981. Both documents need updating.
Ambassador Miguel Bembe also ensured Angola's readiness to sign three legal instruments already negotiated, namely, the General Cooperation Agreement in the Economic, Technical, Scientific and Cultural domains, the Agreement on the Exemption of Visas in Diplomatic and Service and the Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of Political Consultation Mechanisms, between the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In turn, ambassador Fesseha Shawul Gebere also considered it opportune to review the draft Agreement on Air Services, sent to the Angolan side since 2016.
SC/DOJ
