Lisbon – Angolan President João Lourenço, called once again, in Lisbon (Portugal), for an end to the armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Palestine.
Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the April 25 Revolution, the Angolan Head of State condemned the aggression, occupation and annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia and called for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of that country.
The Angolan president urged for the necessary diplomatic efforts to be made to achieve definitive peace in Ukraine and in Europe in general.
João Lourenço stressed that the world is watching, with concern, the growth and proliferation of extremist movements, xenophobia, neo-Nazism, political intolerance, religious fundamentalism and terrorism.
These phenomena, the president said, threaten democracies and seek, through democratic means in some cases but, above all, through unconstitutional methods and paths, to reach power.
Lourenço defended the need for a joint action to confront and defeat these negative forces that today appear in a different guise, threatening the fundamental freedoms of citizens, human life and the social progress of the countries.
“We, who fought for the freedom that we celebrate today, have a moral duty to condemn the aggression, occupation and annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia and to demand respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and that the necessary diplomatic efforts can gain place so that definitive peace is achieved,” Lourenço said.
João Lourenço condemned, once again, the terrorist action of October 7, which killed thousands of peaceful Israeli citizens and took hundreds of hostages, who must be released.
In the same sense, the Angolan statesman condemned Israel's disproportionate reaction, which despite its right to defend its citizens and the State of Israel, cannot have carte blanche to indiscriminately kill children, women, old people, bedridden patients, journalists and workers from international humanitarian organizations.
Lourenço recalled that international humanitarian law must be respected in situations of war.
Faced with this scenario, President João Lourenço understands that the world cannot allow that, with the “argument of the need to eliminate Hamas, the Palestinian people be exterminated not only by the action of bombs, but also by the denial imposed by force to the most elementary humanitarian right, that of access to food, water and medical assistance”.
"There are no terrorist peoples, the Palestinian people are like all peoples, a peaceful people who aspire to live in peace and harmony with other peoples, within the framework of an internationally recognized State", he expressed.
João Lourenço stated that the time has come to demand an end to this war and to begin taking, without further delay, the concrete and needed steps towards the creation of a Palestinian State.
The Angolan president recalled the fact that several United Nations Security Council Resolutions have so determined, which consider this the only safe and lasting way to resolve this old conflict, in the interests of both peoples, the Jew and the Palestinian, Israel and of Palestine.
"Everything must be done by the international community to avoid the imminent likelihood of the conflict escalating and spreading in what is one of the most volatile regions of our planet", Lourenço said.
This assumption, according to the President, must be achieved, "regardless of who cast the first stone".
To Israel and Iran, he appealed to the need for maximum restraint to preserve world peace and security.
President João Lourenço has since Wednesday been in Portugal at the invitation of his counterpart Marcelo de Sousa, to participate in the 50th anniversary of the April 25 revolution, a milestone in the establishment of democracy in Portugal and the independence of Portuguese colonies in Africa.
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