Luanda – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, on Thursday congratulated the King of Spain, Filipe VI, on the celebration of Hispanic Day.
In a message addressed to the monarch, the Head of State said that “joint and fruitful actions between the two countries in different fields will result in an exponential increase in bilateral cooperation”.
João Lourenço also believes that these actions “will have a positive impact on the economies of the two countries” and will ultimately “improve the quality of life of the people of the respective nations”.
Angola and the Kingdom of Spain strengthened their co-operation in February this year in Luanda with the signing of three new memorandum of understanding.
The legal instruments signed within the framework of King Philip VI’s visit to Angola focus on the areas of sports, cooperation between the Venâncio de Moura Diplomatic Academy and the Diplomatic School of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, as well as between the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Angola and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Kingdom of Spain, within the scope of Industry.
Strengthening co-operation
During the official visit of the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, to Luanda in April 2021, the two countries also signed several legal instruments in the fields of air transport, agriculture, fisheries and industrial policy.
Cooperation between the two countries has gained strength in the business sector, with the presence of Spanish companies in Angola, which has led the two countries to outline a new framework of strategic priorities and boost the bilateral cooperation relationship to reach increasingly advantageous levels.
Trade balance
Angola imported the equivalent of US$127,618,515.25 in 2020, while in 2021 it was US$120,765,719.48 and, in 2022, the figures point to US$211,284,522.42.
Regarding exports, in 2020, it was an amount of US$417,115,914.98, in 2021, US$444,456,907.91 and, in 2022, US$2,386,309,430.43.
From 2020 to 2022, the trade balance between Angola and the Kingdom of Spain recorded a surplus for Angola, in which the main imported products were machinery, mechanical appliances and instruments, motor vehicles, tractors and other land vehicles, as well as electrical materials.
Among the most exported products are fuels, minerals, mineral oils and distillation products, bituminous materials, mineral waxes, fish and crustaceans, mollusks and other aquatic invertebrates, salt, sulphur, earth and stones, plaster, lime and cement, machinery, apparatus and mechanical instruments, as well as coffee, tea and spices.
Angola and the Kingdom of Spain established diplomatic relations on 19 October 1977, and the bilateral relations between the two countries are based on the General Cooperation Agreement, signed on 20 May 1987.
Source: Angola Press News Agency