Luanda: President Joo Lourenço received Egyptian Ambassador Neveen El-Husseiny on Monday in Luanda, where she paid a farewell call at the end of her three-year diplomatic mission in Angola. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations, highlighting strengthened cooperation in the economic, agricultural, energy, water resources, and health sectors. According to Angola Press News Agency, Neveen El-Husseiny described relations between Angola and Egypt as "excellent" and highlighted the progress achieved over the past three years in various fields. The diplomat thanked the Angolan Government and people for their friendship and support throughout her mission. "During this period, I was welcomed by the Angolan people with friendship and felt at home in Angola," she said. Neveen El-Husseiny also pointed to significant convergence between Angola and Egypt on issues related to conflicts in Africa, particularly regarding the defence of international law, State sovereignty, and the peace ful resolution of crises. The ambassador further highlighted technical cooperation in agriculture, energy, and water resources, which she described as sectors with strong potential for deeper bilateral engagement. Angola and Egypt are marking 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, a milestone the diplomat said offers an opportunity to usher in a new phase of cooperation. Although diplomatic relations were formally established in 1976, contacts between the two countries date back to the 1960s, when Egypt supported Angola's liberation struggle. Bilateral cooperation gained fresh momentum with the creation of the Angola-Egypt Bilateral Commission, tasked with monitoring and promoting economic, scientific, technical, and cultural relations between the two countries. In the political and diplomatic sphere, Angola and Egypt maintain convergent positions on a range of African issues, particularly regarding the promotion of peace, dialogue, State sovereignty, and the peaceful resolution of confli cts. Both sides also expressed an interest in expanding economic ties and private sector participation, as well as deepening technical cooperation in strategic sectors such as agriculture, energy, water resources, and health.
