Africa-Press – Angola. The Angolan State approved the agreement on the exemption of visas in diplomatic and service passports signed between Angola and Congo, as part of the strengthening of bilateral cooperation.
The fact was revealed this Saturday, in the city of Cabinda, by the Angolan Foreign Minister, Teté António, during the opening of the Bilateral Ministerial Meeting on Defense and Security and Border Management between the two countries.
The Angolan official said that the meeting in Cabinda took place at a time when Angola is preparing to host, in August this year, the fortieth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community and Development of Southern Africa (SADCC), where they will be addressed matters related to the political, military, economic, social and security situation in the sub-region.
Teté António recalled that diplomatic and political relations between Angola and Congo were formally established in 1976, and today there is great enthusiasm, interest and availability on both countries to work on strengthening and expanding cooperation in different areas of interest common.
The Minister also referred that on September 24, 1976, the historic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was signed by the two founding Presidents, Agostinho Neto and Marien Nguabi.
Since that date, he pointed out, a set of important instruments have been signed that establish a strong and indispensable legal basis for cooperation between the two countries.
“There are strong historical ties between Angola and Congo, from cultural and ethnic-linguistic points of view, as well as a full identity of points of view that go back to the dawn of the National Liberation Struggle”, he said.
Teté António also highlighted the good neighborly relations between the two peoples and governments, combined with the fact that they share a vast common border of over 200 kilometres, which imposes a need for the two countries to continue to cooperate in the most varied areas, with a view to protection of common interests.
In this context, he advanced, during the eighth session of the Congo/Angola Bilateral Commission, held in the city of Brazzaville, in April this year, the Angolan side handed over to the Congolese, for consideration, a draft agreement, for the constitution of the Commission Permanent Mixture of Defense and Security between the two countries.
The referred commission constitutes a privileged forum for approaching points of mutual interest in the field of defense and state security and public security. “Thus, it is in every way beneficial that the parties make the necessary efforts to negotiate and conclude the said agreement”, he underlined.
He made it known that this is a sensitive area that has been calling for a broad and effective cooperation between the two countries, as many outstanding issues of common interest, defense and security need to be resolved and may find a swift deliberation within the scope of the joint commission.
Regarding the bilateral meeting, Teté António highlighted the political will of the two Governments to materialize the assumed commitments, with a view to underpinning and leveraging the excellent relations, especially in this important domain for the two countries.
” On this occasion, we will try to identify models for intensifying cooperation between the two countries, with a view to preventing, preserving, controlling and defending the security of the common border, joining efforts in the fight against illegal immigration, regulation of the migratory flow, combating traffic of drugs and human beings, the fight against terrorism and environmental crimes that affect communities”, he highlighted.
He warned the two countries’ defense and security bodies that, despite the operational measures taken by the two countries’ defense and security bodies, in the field of preventing border transgression crimes, security along the common border aspires to some Careful.
He stressed that, in recent times, there has been a reduction in crimes along the common border, resulting from the measures that the operating bodies have developed and, in this context, it is urgent to improve the definition of a border baseline, the adjustment of frequencies meetings of defense and security bodies and joint operations to combat illegal immigration.
Outstanding commitment by experts
At the closing act of the bilateral meeting, the Minister of the Interior of Angola, Eugénio Laborinho, as chairman of the event, highlighted the determination of experts from both countries, due to the consensual way in which they debated issues related to defence, security and borders for three days.
He said that the experts’ determination demonstrates the mutual interest of the affected bodies in the protection, defense and security of the border, in guaranteeing peace and stability and in the free movement of people and goods, on both sides.
The bilateral ministerial meeting on defense and security and border management between Angola and Congo was preceded by a meeting of experts who, for three days, worked in four subcommittees on defence, public and state security.
The objective was to assess the degree of compliance with the decisions taken from the bilateral ministerial meeting in Ponta-Negra, in May 2022, on the identification of border markers, the definition of border lines, land, sea and river, the increase in patrols joint actions in the fight against fuel smuggling, illegal immigration, merchandise traffic and the movement of strangers along the land border.
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