Paris - Angolan President João Lourenço announced Thursday in Paris that Angola and France have decided to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation in all areas of the two countries' economies.
The Angolan president, who was speaking after official talks between the delegations of his country and France, said that cooperation will be strengthened in areas such as agriculture, tourism, health, higher education, mineral resources, oil and gas, merchant shipping, defense, security and internal order, water and energy, among others.
According to the Angolan president, the meeting reviewed the state of bilateral relations and the international agenda, especially the major world events that in one way or another affect the economies of both countries.
João Lourenço said that France was already involved in the restructuring of the water sector in his country, with investments made by the "Sues Group" to provide water to three million people in Luanda, the capital of Angola.
In the energy sector, Lourenço said, French companies have been invited to invest in electricity transmission lines to transport Angola's surplus to the mining areas of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Angolan president revealed that several French investors have been invited to participate in the concession to manage the Caio Deep Water Commercial Port, in the province of Cabinda, to be awarded this year.
Lourenço stressed that the interest is mutual, since French investors are still interested in investing in Angola, while Angolans are also interested in investing in France.
Internacionais News
João Lourenço said that he discussed with his French counterpart, among other things, the conflicts in different parts of the world, the difficult and worrying situation in the Sahel region, which is facing terrorism and unconstitutional changes of government.
The Angolan President said that the conflicts between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Russia and Ukraine, and the situation in the Republic of Sudan were also topics of private conversation.
"We welcome yesterday's announcement of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, which will put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people in the region and allow for significant humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of Gaza and the release of hostages, among other benefits," the Angolan president said.
João Lourenço called for the creation of the State of Palestine, which he said was the only way to put a definitive end to this long-standing conflict.
State Visit
Later on Thursday, João Lourenço will hold a meeting with French Parliament Speaker, Yara Braun-Pivet, before returning to the Presidential Palace in the evening for the official dinner hosted by President Macron.
On Friday, the second and final day of the visit, João Lourenço will participate in the France-Angola Economic Forum, which will explore business opportunities, partnerships and other engagements between economic operators on both sides.
This will be followed by visits to economic targets such as a waste-to-energy plant and the City of Science and Industry, with the Head of State's return to the country scheduled for Saturday, January 18.
Agreements
On Wednesday, Angola and France signed six new cooperation agreements in various fields, especially in the areas of defense, internal order and the preservation of biodiversity.
These are the new General Cooperation Agreement, the Cooperation Agreement in the Field of Security and Internal Order and four Memoranda of Understanding, one of which is for the implementation of the Palanca Yetu Biodiversity Conservation Project.
The other memoranda relate to the establishment of political consultations, the implementation of the Project to Support the Development of Irrigated Agriculture (PROREGA), and cooperation in the field of sports.
The six legal instruments were signed by the two countries' heads of diplomacy, Téte António and Jean-Noel Barrot, respectively. IZ/VIC/AMP
