Luanda - The Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, said Wednesday in Luanda that the African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union (OACPS-EU) have made history by laying the new foundations for equal partnership based on an institutional structure in favor of the peoples.
The Angolan parliament Speaker made the statement at the opening ceremony of the 1st OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Plenary Session, within the framework of the new Samoa Agreement.
"I am convinced that we have made history and laid new foundations in the joint partnership based on a new institutional structure, which maintains the same focus, cohesion and the same determination to do more and better in favour of our peoples with resilience," she said.
According to the politician, the 416 delegates who met in the Chamber were able to realize the will of the peoples they represent through a global commitment to preserve and promote the non-negotiable value of peace and tolerance.
These assumptions, Cerqueira said, are fundamental paths towards equity, social justice, good governance and social and human development for all.
Cerqueira spoke of the urgent need to establish bridges, paths and mechanisms to strengthen the partnership between peoples through a new dynamic of equal relations and a more inclusive framework and broad articulation of the purposes of states.
The Speaker underscored the need to articulate a standard that values the dignity of the human person based on a joint holistic vision to face the complex challenges posed by the current global geopolitical situation.
The politician said the voice of parliamentarians, more than ever, must be affirmed as the herald of peace, tolerance, concord and dialogue from a common perspective, "despite the diversity of each of our countries' realities.
According to the leader of the Angolan parliament, the spirit and purpose of the future partnership between the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union, now re-launched by the Samoa agreement, contains the ideal of relations between peoples for the strengthening of democracy and respect for human rights.
Carolina Cerqueira underlined that the complexity of global political issues, the financial crisis and its effects on national economies, climate change, the energy crisis, food and nutritional security, gender equality, the fight against poverty, social inclusion, the fight against corruption and human trafficking, among others, have occupied the agendas of states and constitute hope for the lives of the population to be improved.
"We are proud to have brought together and understood the ideals of each and every one of us, and the credit goes to the delegates from all over the world who made this great event possible, despite the cultural and geographical diversity that separates us, but unites us in purpose," Cerqueira said. DC/VIC/DAN/AMP
