Africa-Press – Angola. The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, arrived late Tuesday afternoon in Rome, capital of Italy, for a two-day state visit.
The state visit begins on Wednesday (24). President João Lourenço has scheduled, for the morning, a meeting at the Quirinale Palace with his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella.
According to the work agenda, in the early afternoon, the Angolan statesman and the accompanying delegation will attend a lunch offered by the president of the Council of Ministers, Giorgia Meloni.
In mid-afternoon, around 4 pm, João Lourenço will lay a wreath on the “Altar of the Fatherland”, monument to the unknown soldier, which will be followed by a meeting with the leader of the Senate, Ignacio La Russa.
At the beginning of the evening, the Angolan statesman goes to the Chamber of Deputies where he will be received by the President of Parliament, Lorenzo Fontana.
For Thursday, the last day of the visit, the Angolan Head of State has on his agenda a visit to the Chamber of Rome, where he is expected to sign the institution’s book of honour.
On the same day, João Lourenço is scheduled to participate in the opening of the business forum with Angolan and Italian businessmen.
The State visit to the Italian Republic is part of the framework of economic diplomacy with which the country has been attracting more foreign investment, with Italy being a priority.
The Angolan Head of State thus materializes the invitation made by President Sergio Mattarella, who was in Angola on an official visit, in February 2019, to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
On the occasion of that visit, the parties signed a memorandum of understanding in Luanda between the Angolan Ministry of Finance and the Cassa Depositi e Pretiti.
Angola and Italy also share interests in the oil sector, with the oil company ENI playing a significant role in the Angolan national economy.
Development of bilateral relations
Angola is Italy’s third-largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, after South Africa and Nigeria.
The Italian Government considers Angola a priority country for its cooperation strategy in sub-Saharan Africa since 1989.
The two countries formalized diplomatic and cooperation relations on June 4, 1976 and on August 3, 1977 signed the Technical Cooperation Agreement, as well as the Memorandum of Intentions through which the Angola/Italy Joint Commission was created.
Both States signed the first legal instrument called the Air Transport Agreement on April 10, 1976.
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