Luanda – Angolan president João Lourenço Monday in Luanda said that the country counts on the experience and influence of the Turkey, one of the Euro Asia’s largest economies, to tread the path of growth and development.
Angolan statesman was speaking at the beginning of official talks between the two countries, as part of the State visit to Angola by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“It is our intention to count on your support, experience and influence. We know that Turkey is one of the most important economies in the Euro Asia region. So Angola can follow the paths of growth and development, disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic”, noted President João Lourenço.
He said that the Covid-19 pandemic caused untold damage, in sectors that represent engines of operation and maintenance of the Angolan State.
The President recalled that during his State visit to Turkey, some legal instruments were signed which, together with those signed today (Monday) by members of the respective delegations, will have an unquestionable specific weight in the set of actions that have been carried out, aimed at strengthening and intensifying bilateral relations.
“I think that these events clearly mark the political will of each of our governments to create an environment of security and predictability for the business being carried out between both countries”, he stressed.
According to the Angolan statesman, the two countries knew little about each other and, in this relatively short time in which they started to cooperate, they discovered immense potential for cooperation and business that, for the good of both, is being used with very encouraging prospects of producing results.”
International cooperation
In his speech, the Angolan Head of State emphasised that Turkey and the Republic of Angola have unquestionable responsibilities regarding the promotion of initiatives that guarantee peace, security and stability at the level of the regions in which they are located, with obvious repercussions on the overall plan.
“We are concerned, at this stage, with the growing escalation of tensions in various regions of the planet, above all, the armed conflicts that are taking place in Africa and the Middle East (…) require an enormous effort from the international community.”, he said.
He said in this joint effort, Angola has done its part, through the initiatives it undertakes within the framework of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the Economic Community of Central African States, by contributing to peace and stability in these sub-regions.
The president said that Angola’s efforts have been developed in articulation with the African Union and the United Nations.
“Despite the complexity of the tasks in which we are involved, we remain committed to working to sensitize the parties in conflict, in order to build a solid understanding among all, capable of favouring the restoration of peace,” he concluded.
In turn, the President of Turkey, Recept Tayip Erdogan, reiterated his country’s interest in cooperating with Angola, as part of development and diversification of the economy.
He said that, despite the pandemic context that affects the world, Turkey is open to helping Angola, through strategic cooperation between the two countries.
Diplomatic relations between Angola and Turkey date back to 1980. The two countries have cooperation agreements in the areas of trade, agriculture, education, culture, defence, justice and sport.
Source: Angola Press News Agency