Luanda – Angolan president João Lourenço met with his East Timor counterpart, José Ramos Horta on Monday in Luanda, with the aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
Ramo Horta, who began a three-day official visit to Angola Monday, was received at the Presidential Palace, in the Upper City, with military honors, following a meeting of ministers from both countries that culminated in the signing of three cooperation agreements.
Earlier, the President of East Timor paid tribute to the founder of the Angolan nation, Agostinho Neto, by laying a wreath on his sarcophagus in the mausoleum built in his memory.
The Monday agenda includes addresses to the National Assembly of Angola followed by visits to the Police Science and Diplomatic Academies on Tuesday.
History of cooperation
The two countries established bilateral relations in May 2002.
Since then, the parties have developed a series of policies and public consultations with a view to strengthening ties in their mutual interest.
In June 2011, the two countries signed two cooperation agreements in the fields of military technical assistance and oil.
At the time, Angola offered to provide technical assistance to the Asian country in the oil and gas sectors.
As part of the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries, in January 2023, Presidents João Lourenço and José Ramos-Horta met in Brasilia, Brazil, on the sidelines of the inauguration of President Lula da Silva.
The meeting revolved around the expansion of cooperative relations between the two countries.
President Ramos Horta expressed his desire to boost and expand diplomatic relations, consultations and greater cooperation, underlining that in his view, Angola is a country of great inspiration, taking into account that the nation supported East Timor in its liberation struggle for independence.
Members of the CPLP
The two countries are part of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries and have cooperated in various areas within the organization.
East Timor is a country located on the island of Timor in Southeast Asia. Its capital is the city of Dili.
The country has a tropical climate and mountainous terrain. It is home to 1.3 million inhabitants, most of them living in rural East Timor. The country was a Portuguese colony until 1975, when it gained its independence.
A year later, however, it was annexed to Indonesia and only became independent again in 2002, when its sovereignty was internationally recognized. ART/TED/AMP
