Luanda – The Russian minister of Foreign Affairs, Serguey Lavrov, arrived Tuesday in Luanda for an official visit, aiming to engage in dialogue with the Angolan authorities and strengthen bilateral cooperation.
On his arrival at the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, the Russian diplomat was received by the Angolan Foreign Affairs minister, Téte António, also by the Russian Ambassador to Angola, Vladimir Taratov, and by the Ambassador of Angola to Russia, Augusto da Silva Cunha.
Talking to the press, the Russian Ambassador to Angola, Vladimir Taratov, said that the visit of his country’s Foreign minister will serve to strengthen cooperation between both countries, to address the good times of past cooperation and to boost the bonds of friendship for the continued development of both nations.
Regarding Angolan view towards the Russian and Ukraine conflict, Vladimir Tararov stressed that they made several steps to end the conflict and according to him, the Ukrainian side refused the agreements, which is a situation that has existed since 2014 and which was made clear several times in statements by the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Serguey Lavrov stated that the Russian and Ukraine conflict will have no influence on his country´s relations with Angola, since to him each country has its freedom of speech, sovereignty to choose its position or path, although he would like it to be in favour of his country.
The Ambassador of Angola to Russia, Augusto da Silva Cunha, considered appropriate the Russian diplomat’s visit to the country, adding that it will help to strengthen relations between both peoples, which slowed down since 2019, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the diplomat, “there has been no hostility in the relations”, as in the last three months he has granted interviews to Russian radio and television, where he passed on messages on the basis of friendship and solidarity, in view of the historical relations that exist with the Russians, which must be preserved.
Angola and Russia have privileged relations since 8 October 1976, when the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation was signed in Moscow, then capital of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
On 16 November 2004, Angola and Russia signed in Luanda an agreement on the re-launching of cooperation in the economic and technical fields and in the next day they established the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Technical, Scientific and Commercial Cooperation.
At present, both countries' cooperation is most significant in the sectors of energy, geology and mining, higher education, executive training, defence and security, telecommunications and information technologies, fisheries, transport, finance and banking.
At this point, it is estimated that at least 1,000 Russians are living in Angola, while 1,500 Angolans reside in Russia.
Russia is part of a group of 61 countries which are included in the procedures for the simplification of administrative acts for the issuing of tourist visas.
In 2019, the Head of State, João Lourenço, made his first visit to the Russian Federation and had a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and in the same period there were talks at the highest level between delegations of the two countries, to strengthen and widen bilateral cooperation.
Meanwhile, by the second half of 2019 trade between Angola and Russia stood at USD 26 million, which represented a drop of 40% from the previous period.
A constant factor in these relations is that the Russians sell much more than they buy from Angola. Angola´s export basket to Russia consists mainly of wood and its by-products, scrap metals and precious stones.
On the other hand, among the top ten Russian export products are goods, military services, electrical equipment, its components, books, graphic industry products, fuels, minerals, oil by-products and fertilizers.
