Luanda - The Head of State, João Lourenço, on Wednesday in Luanda Province received a letter from his Djibouti counterpart, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, in which the latter expresses his desire to see the bilateral and multilateral cooperation strengthened.
The bearer of the letter was Mahmoud Ali Youssou, Djibouti's Foreign Affairs minister. He was received in an audience granted to him by the Angolan statesman.
Speaking to the press about further details of the letter's content, the minister said that it also concerns the need for the parties to increase cooperation at the highest level.
He stated that his country has experience in the field of logistics, as well as in the creation of lobby, and Angola is also doing the same internally, factors that are fundamental for both countries, as well as for boosting African potential.
The minister recalled that the parties have already signed three instruments, such as the Framework Cooperation Agreement, which covers almost all areas of common interest, from visa exemption on diplomatic passports to renewable energies, especially regarding the transportation of these goods to the final consumer.
According to Mahmoud Ali Youssou, his country is currently interested in expanding cooperation in the area of logistics, because Angola is known to have the Lobito Corridor, and Djibouti has experience in this area, as it has a domain that crosses Ethiopia and South Sudan.
"One of the most important points that should be part of our cooperation is the transformation of our resources. We must work so that the resources we extract from our soil are transformed internally, because this will add value and will ensure that we have an internal workforce that will remain local before being exported," said the diplomat.
African Union
He also mentioned that President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh had asked the Angolan Head of State to support Djibouti's candidacy, represented by the Foreign Affairs minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssou, to run for the presidency of the African Union Commission.
The official said that the idea is to create synergies, since Angola will assume the rotating presidency of the organization next year and, in this case, the experience of both will be important for the creation of mechanisms aimed at developing infrastructures that can help Africa grow.
Mahmoud Ali Youssou also stated that, as the African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation, President João Lourenço can count on Djibouti's full availability, if he is elected chairman of the African Union Commission.
He acknowledged that João Lourenço has already shown his ability and worked hard on the issue of peace in the Central African Republic (CAR), where he has achieved very positive results, which is why he will be open to helping with his agenda, whose strengths are the issue of justice for people of African descent, as well as peace and security.
Djibouti's Foreign Affairs minister informed that this is a synergy that they will use, adding that taking into account his role he will practically be the executve side implementing the directives of the AU Chairperson, which next year will be the Angolan President.
The relations of friendship and cooperation between Angola and the Republic of Djibouti have been strengthened, especially after the signing of three co-operation agreements, which took place in February of this year, on the sidelines of the 43rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union.
These relations are considered excellent and increasingly cooperative in the most varied areas of common interest.
Djibouti which is located in the Horn of Africa, is a country where French and Arabic are predominantly spoken.
The landscape is characterized by scrubland, volcanic formations and the beaches of the Gulf of Aden.
The country is home to one of the world's saltiest bodies of water named Lake Assal, below sea level in the Danakil Desert.
There are distant nomadic settlements along the salty Lake Abbe, which features chimney-like mineral formations.
ART/MRA/jmc
