Africa-Press – Angola. Angola and Gabon have strengthened the cooperation they have maintained since 11 November 1975 by signing another agreement on Culture in Libreville on Monday. The agreement, signed during the 24-hour official visit that the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, made to that country at the invitation of his Gabonese counterpart Brice Oligui Nguema, will allow for greater ties between Angola and Gabon in this area.
The agreement aims to promote mutual and beneficial cooperation in the fields of Arts, Culture and Language, with a view to developing activities, programmes and projects for cultural and artistic exchanges.
In statements to the press, at the end of the signing of the agreement and the talks between the delegations of the two countries, events held at the local Presidential Palace, the Angolan Head of State expressed the need to relaunch relations with Gabon, with emphasis on holding, as soon as possible, the meeting of the Bilateral Joint Commission, scheduled, this time, for Angola.
“Mr. President, rest assured in our desire to deepen the bonds of friendship and economic cooperation between Angola and Gabon,” the Angolan statesman assured his Gabonese counterpart.
As part of the actions aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries, João Lourenço invited the elected President of Gabon, Brice Oligui Nguema, to also make an official visit to Angola, an invitation that the Gabonese statesman readily accepted.
President João Lourenço also considered the elections in Gabon to be a good example for all countries on the continent to follow.
“That is why we instructed the African Union Commission, through the Peace and Security Council, to lift all types of sanctions and impediments that weighed on the Republic of Gabon,” stressed the Angolan Head of State, highlighting the fact that Oligui had fulfilled his promise to hold democratic elections in his country within the promised deadlines.
The President of the Republic also recalled that several groups of observers were unanimous in considering that the elections were free and democratic.
“The people were free to express their will at the polls, with minimal abstentions on election day, which is also to be commended,” stressed João Lourenço, who encouraged the Gabonese authorities to dedicate themselves to the economic and social development of the country, for the benefit of its citizens.
“You can count on our support, as a sister country, Angola, within the framework of the bilateral relationship that we have, as well as on the support of the great family to which we all belong, which is the African Union,” he stressed.
Oligui Nguema receives João Lourenço at the airport
João Lourenço arrived in the city of Libreville yesterday morning, for the beginning of the official visit.
Unlike the usual practice, where the Minister of Foreign Affairs or another official from the country travels to the airport to welcome a visitor of his stature, it was President Brice Oligui Nguema himself who went to the airport to welcome the Angolan Head of State, in a gesture of hospitality and respect, demonstrating the need that the two countries feel to increasingly strengthen their relations.
This and other gestures did not go unnoticed by President João Lourenço, who reserved space in his press release to highlight them.
“I would like to take this opportunity, on my own behalf and on behalf of the delegation accompanying me, to thank Your Excellency Mr President, the Government of Gabon and the Gabonese people for the very warm and friendly way in which we were welcomed upon our arrival this morning here in this beautiful city of Libreville,” he said.
At the airport, President João Lourenço was greeted with apotheosis by a group of Angolan citizens residing in that country, who displayed posters with the names of all the country’s provinces.
Release of Angolan prisoners
The occasion served as an opportunity for President João Lourenço to thank his Gabonese counterpart for having pardoned a group of Angolans who were serving prison sentences in that country.
“We will ensure that we send the appropriate means to return them to their families,” assured President João Lourenço.
The official visit of President João Lourenço, who returned to the country yesterday, ended with a lunch hosted by the Gabanese President.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
