Luanda - The Angolan ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Júlio Maiato, reaffirmed this Thursday, in Abu Dhabi, the country's commitment to achieving SADC's Vision 2050.
The diploma said that Angola, in its capacity as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), will continue to develop actions aimed at achieving the African organization's Vision 2050.
This strategy envisages a politically and socially stable, peaceful, economically developed Southern region with justice and freedom for its citizens.
Ambassador Júlio Maiato reaffirmed this position during a meeting of Ambassadors and Chargé d'Affaires from Southern Africa accredited in this Middle Eastern country.
The diplomat, who spoke as chairperson of the SADC Group of Ambassadors in the UAE, also emphasized the motto adopted for the Southern African Liberation Day celebrations (23 March) “For the Socio-Economic Development of Southern Africa, Let us Honor the Combatants of Battle of Cuito Cuanavale”.
Júlio Maiato recalled the memorable battle on Angolan soil that precipitated the collapse of the apartheid regime and the holding of elections that gave victory to the democratic government with a black majority of the ANC.
He added that Africa was thus freed from an oppressive, discriminatory and abominable regime.
“This meeting between brothers serves mainly to pay a tribute to all the heroes and heroines for their enormous sacrifices during the months of fighting that culminated in victory on March 23, 1988”, he said.
Júlio Maiato also spoke of the enormous challenges facing the continent, which involve achieving freedom, inclusive growth and sustainable development, including natural difficulties such as prolonged droughts, the prevalence of AIDS and poverty.
For this reason, he called on everyone to work together in order to consider fundamental axes such as promoting growth and economic development, alleviating poverty, increasing people's quality of life and providing assistance to the most disadvantaged, as well as developing values common policies, systems and institutions.
He described the need to achieve complementarity between national and regional strategies and programs, promote and maximize the effective use of the region's resources, ensure the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.
These must also reinforce and consolidate cultural, historical and social affinities between the countries of the region.
The diplomat is also Angola’s Ambassador for the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, Afghanistan (currently the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as well as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) based in Abu Dhabi.
March 23, celebrated as the Liberation Day of Southern Africa, marks the anniversary of the historic Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, a period in which the armed forces of the South African apartheid regime suffered an embarrassing defeat, which shattered the myths of invincibility and racial supremacy that sustained the then political regime in South Africa.
It also accelerated the implementation of Resolution 435 of the United Nations Security Council on the Independence of Namibia, which would effectively occur on March 21, 1990. SC/DOJ
