Braslia: President Joo Louren§o left Thursday for Brazil on a two-day state visit, at the invitation of his counterpart, Lula da Silva, with a view to strengthening the bilateral cooperation. At the 04 de Fevereiro International Airport, the Angolan Head of State, accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Louren§o, was bid farewell by the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperan§a da Costa, and other dignitaries. The official agenda in Braslia begins on Friday, with the high point being the meeting between the two Heads of State, followed by the signing of agreements. In honor of the Angolan Head of State, a luncheon will be held at the Itamaraty Palace, headquarters of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Angola Press News Agency, cooperation between Angola and Brazil began to take shape on June 11, 1980, with the signing of the Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Agreement. Under this agreement, the two countries developed bilateral ties in the areas of health, culture, public administration, vocational training, education, the environment, sports, statistics, and agriculture.
Brazil, which was the first country to recognize Angola's independence, views Joo Louren§o's visit as "highly symbolic" and aims to strengthen agricultural relations. Cooperation in the agricultural sector is expected to receive greater attention, mainly for the project in the Cunene Valley, in southwestern Angola.
A mission from the Brazilian agribusiness sector visited Angola from May 5 to 10, with the participation of around 30 Brazilian businesspeople and the Brazilian minister for the sector, Carlos F¡varo, who carried out technical visits to the provinces of Luanda, Malanje, and Cuanza-Norte and participated in meetings with representatives of the Angolan private sector to discuss ways of financing. The visit aimed to prepare proposals for progress in bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector, on the eve of President Joo Louren§o's visit.
Around 70% of Brazilian exports to Angola come from the agribusiness sector, with emphasis on sugar and chicken, beef and pork meat.
