Pretoria - The tripartite summit between the presidents of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, to be held in Luanda on Sunday, could lead to the signing or adoption of a definitive peace agreement between these two neighboring countries.
This was said by the President of Angola, João Lourenço, during a press conference on Thursday in Pretoria, South Africa, where he is on a one-day state visit, after pointing out the progress made in the peace process in the east of the DRC, mediated by Angola.
João Lourenço said that the process was "going well", stressing that technical and ministerial meetings had been held in order to achieve peace and definitive security in the region.
At the side of his counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, Lourenço explained that during the private meeting, in addition to bilateral cooperation, the two presidents analyzed the situation in the Middle East and Europe, especially the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which threatens international peace and security.
"We are part of the same planet and we are concerned about anything that could jeopardize the greatest good of humanity, without a doubt peace and security, because that is the only way we can develop economically," Lourenço said.
At the beginning of July this year, the DRC and Rwanda signed a ceasefire in Luanda, which entered into force on August 4, following the second ministerial meeting between the two countries, mediated by Angola.
The strengthened Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism monitors the ceasefire.
João Lourenço arrived in South Africa on Wednesday for a state visit at the invitation of his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The cooperation between Angola and South Africa has solid historical and strategic foundations, stemming from mutual support during the struggle for independence and against apartheid.
The two sides signed the General Agreement for Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation in 1998 in Luanda.
Several other legal instruments for cooperation between the two countries have also been signed, including the creation in 2000 of the Bilateral Cooperation Commission, a key diplomatic mechanism that has been the main means of interaction in recent years, with four meetings to date held alternately in Pretoria and Luanda, which have enabled cooperation activities to be carried out. AFL/RB/VIC/TED/AMP
