Africa-Press – Angola. The Portuguese ambassador in Luanda considers that the Portugal-Angola relationship is today guided by “maturity”, after overcoming the “irritants” and with the passage of time easing the recent “turbulence” between the two countries.
In an interview with Lusa, released yesterday, Francisco Alegre Duarte, ambassador of Portugal in Angola, considers that “relationships today are excellent, without irritating calls, guided by equality, fraternity and, above all, maturity”, recognizing that the passage of time “helped”.
“We had a colonial war, there was a revolution in Portugal, there was a turbulent decolonization, there was a civil war and great changes in Angola, namely in demographic terms, which also have political repercussions”, he stressed, noting that the average age of the Angolan population is 17 years old, which means that most Angolans were born after the civil war (which ended in 2002) and independence, won in 1975.
“I do not suffer from colonial or neo-colonial complexes. I think it is time for us to have a mature and demanding relationship and that time has now come”, emphasized the diplomat, underlining that the relations “are excellent” and “accomplices”, as evidenced by the relationship between the two Presidents, João Lourenço, and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who was in Angola twice last year.
For Francisco Alegre Duarte, the “said turbulence made it possible to build a relationship between equals” who had, in a way, “a joint liberation”.
“I would love for us to jointly mark the 25th of April” which is about to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2024, as is the case with Angola which celebrates its 50 years as an independent country in 2025.
“This is all connected”, he comments, noting that Portugal’s approach to Angola is not limited to the economic plan, extending to Arts and Culture, with emphasis on artists such as the comedian Gilmário Vemba or musicians such as Matias Damásio, Paulo Flores , Yuri da Cunha who enjoy great popularity in both countries.
“There is a huge amount of opportunities here and the State cannot do everything”, he continued, encouraging the big Portuguese clubs to create academies in Angola and universities to adopt a “more aggressive” role with regard, for example, to to attract students.
Although the number of emigrants has been decreasing since 2015, Angola continues to attract Portuguese.
According to the latest report by the Emigration Observatory, Angola was in the top 10 favorite destinations – the only non-European – with currently more than 127,000 Portuguese registered (of which 60% have dual nationality).
An attraction that is justified, according to Francisco Alegre Duarte, due to the “dense relationship” and family connections with Portugal, as well as the History, language and economic relations.
“It’s a different community than the one we have in South Africa, Venezuela or Brazil, it’s very close, very connected by family ties to Angolan society and that prefers to base its presence on discretion”, describes the ambassador, pointing out among his priorities the recognition of the “contribution that the Portuguese make to the Angolan economy and society”.
Opening of own facilities for visa assistance in Luanda
Portugal will have its own exclusive facilities to support visa applications in Luanda, announced the ambassador of this European country in Angola.
Currently, in the VFS Global Visa Center building, visas are received and processed not only for Portugal, but for other countries, which will change at the end of February, as Portugal will have “its own and exclusive facilities”, he said. Francisco Alegre Duarte.
Migratory flows remain intense between the two countries, despite the fact that the number of Portuguese who chose Angola to emigrate has been decreasing since 2015.
However, in the opposite direction, there are more and more Angolans looking for Portugal to reside, increasing the pressure on consular services and the complaints from Angolan citizens.
“The Consulate of Luanda is the largest issuer of visas in the entire Portuguese diplomatic network”, underlined the Portuguese diplomat, adding that, last year, there was a 300% increase in the issue of visas compared to 2021, due to the need to recover the delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as an increase in orders.
“We are facing challenges in terms of strengthening human resources and technological tools to stop the hoarding of vacancies, there is a set of measures to be taken”, said the ambassador, showing confidence that there will also be improvements in service to the Portuguese .
For Francisco Alegre Duarte, this flow of people also means a flow “of ideas, talent, opportunities”, with mobility being central in the relationship with Portugal.
“The mobility agreement is a milestone in the history of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries”, he stressed, adding that cultural and linguistic affinities with Portugal facilitate integration.
In addition, in view of the “demographic winter” that Portugal is facing, characterized by a sharp aging of the population and a shortage of manpower, they facilitate migratory opportunities and the search for work.
“One of the opportunities that this agreement offers is the facilitation of long-term, national visas (to which the Schengen rules do not apply), including work visas, since a contract is no longer required, only registration with the IEFP and some minimum conditions”, said the diplomat.
However, he underlined, “mobility is not limited to visas”, pointing out difficulties in terms of discounts for Social Security that need to be resolved: “I have received complaints that are a little transversal, not exclusive to a single sector”, Francisco told Lusa Alegre Duarte, Ambassador to Angola since March 1, 2022.
“Nowadays, when a Portuguese company hires a Portuguese person, one of the issues that arise is discounts. end of the contributory career, forcing companies to seek other forms of compensation”, stressed the ambassador, adding that this is “an aspect in which reciprocity should be fine-tuned”.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
