Luanda - The secretary-general of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Georges Chicoty, Wednesday in Luanda, praised Angola's contribution, particularly that of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, in creating conditions for the normal functioning of the institution.
Speaking to the press at the end of the 1st Joint Parliamentary Plenary Session of the OACPS-EU, Georges Chicoty highlighted the commitment of Angolan diplomacy in promoting the country's image.
"This event is also an opportunity to promote the country's image, as the Head of State has spared no effort in recent months to put Angola in its rightful place. The European Union intends to invest more and more in Angola, as it will be in the Lobito Corridor, which means that Angola will be at the centre of relations between the EU and Africa," Chicoty said.
With regard to the Samoa Agreement, officially signed on 15 November 2023, replacing the Cotonou Agreement that was in force in the EU and the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, the Angolan diplomat said the new agreement is global, which could open up prospects in sustainable development, climate change mitigation, trade, economic cooperation, good governance and the promotion of peace.
The diplomat encouraged the member states of the organization to ratify the diploma in order to "seal an increasingly constructive relationship".
Guinea-Bissau requests OACPS support
The director of the office of the president of the National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau, Rute Monteiro, asked for the OACPS' support for the political stability of her country and the normal functioning of democratic institutions.
Rute Monteiro, who is taking part in the event as an observer, since Guinea-Bissau has not yet ratified the Samoa Agreement, considered the Presidential Decree that dissolved the Guinean Parliament to be unconstitutional, arguing that the measure violates the country's Magna Carta.
"We have a presidential initiative government, which is unconstitutional given that the elections took place in June 2023. The Constitution itself and the Electoral Law prevent the existence of two elections in the same year, so Parliament shouldn't be dissolved because it had been in office for four months," the politician said.
Rute Monteiro said the visit to Luanda is an attempt to draw the attention of our partners, our friends, to the fact that democracy does not exist in Guinea-Bissau and that respect for human rights is a mirage, adding that she expects unconditional support from the OACPS for the restoration of constitutional legality. MCN/VIC/DAN/AMP
