Luanda: Angola and Gabon signed three cooperation agreements on Wednesday in Luanda, in the areas of agriculture and forestry, security and public order, and extradition, as part of the official visit of the Gabonese President, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, to the country. The legal instruments were signed in the presence of the President of the Republic of Angola, Joo Lourenço, and the Gabonese statesman, who is on a state visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation. According to Angola Press News Agency, on the Angolan side, the signing was carried out by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, while on the Gabonese side, the agreements were signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Diaspora, Maria Edith Tassyla Ye Doumbeneny. Among the signed documents, a memorandum of understanding stands out between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Angola and the Ministry of Water and Forestry of Gabon, aimed at strengthening technical and institution al cooperation in the forestry sector. The second agreement establishes cooperation between the two governments in the field of security and public order, while the third legal instrument defines the legal framework for extradition between the Republic of Angola and the Republic of Gabon. The signing of these agreements reinforces joint efforts to boost bilateral cooperation and deepen the historical ties between the two countries. Angola and Gabon have been intensifying bilateral cooperation relations in the political, economic, and institutional fields, based on legal instruments and joint mechanisms aimed at shared development. The partnership is based on the General Cooperation Agreement and the Bilateral Joint Commission, created in 1982 in Libreville, which functions as the main mechanism for monitoring and implementing joint projects. In the political and diplomatic sphere, the two States maintain regular consultations and coordination of positions in regional and international forums, with emphasis on promoting stability and integration into the Economic Community of Central African States. In the economic field, Angola and Gabon are committed to relaunching trade and diversifying their economies, focusing on sectors such as oil and energy, agriculture, forestry, mining, industry, transport, and logistics. Angola expresses interest in Gabonese experience in the forestry sector, while Gabon seeks to benefit from Angolan knowledge in the oil industry, in a logic of economic complementarity. Bilateral relations also include visa facilitation agreements for diplomatic and service passports, as well as understandings in the fields of culture, agriculture, and forestry. The authorities of both countries foresee new sessions of the Bilateral Joint Commission, aimed at evaluating existing agreements and identifying new opportunities for cooperation. This strengthening of the partnership is part of a new cycle of strategic rapprochement between Luanda and Libreville, oriented towards sustainable development, r egional integration, and shared prosperity.
