Paris – Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, begins Thursday, in Paris, a 48-hour state visit focusing on the need to strengthen cooperative ties between the two countries.
The President arrived on Wednesday at Orly airport, in Paris, and was received by the French Armed Forces minister, Sébastien Lécornu, by the Angolan Foreign Affairs minister, Téte António, as well as by the Angolan ambassador to France, Guilhermina Prata.
This is João Lourenço's second state visit to the European country, after the one that took place in May 2018, a few months after his first inauguration as President of the Republic of Angola, in September 2017.
It is also the Angolan Head of State's third official trip to France, for once he participated, precisely in 2021, in the France-Africa Summit on the financing of African economies.
The visit program of the Angolan Head of State, accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dia Lourenço, begins with the arrival of the Angolan presidential delegation at the National Palace of the Invalids, one of the most important monuments in Paris where Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb is located.
Afterwards, João Lourenço and his delegation will head to the Élysée Presidential Palace, (the official residence of the President of the French Republic in Paris), to meet with his counterpart Emmanuel Macron, before the opening of official talks between delegations from the two countries.
During their meeting, the two statesmen will discuss, in addition to bilateral issues, several important regional and international issues, while President João Lourenço is preparing to assume, within a few weeks, the presidency of the African Union (AU).
On the same day, João Lourenço will have a meeting with the President of the French Parliament, Yaël Braun-Pivet, and in the evening he is scheduled to return to the Presidential Palace for the official dinner hosted by President Macron.
On Friday, the second and last day of the visit, João Lourenço is to participate in the France-Angola Economic Forum, which will evaluate business opportunities, partnerships and other commitments between economic operators on both sides.
Friday's program also includes a visit to a waste energy recovery plant, as well as the City of Sciences and Industry.
The return of the Head of State to the country is scheduled for Saturday, January 18th.
IZ/MRA/jmc
