Africa-Press – Angola. The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs defends more Angolan investment in Portugal.
João Gomes Cravinho, made these statements during the balance of the two-day visit to Angola, having mentioned that the two States are working to increase investment in both directions. “We have economic work that goes in both directions so that there is more Angolan investment in Portugal and better conditions for Portuguese investment in Angola,” he said.
In addition to this segment, the minister expressed interest in expanding cultural relations, increasing and improving mobility between CPLP countries.
Regarding visas, he explained that Portugal had issued, until March, 2000 visas and that most of the factors that generated delays resulting from the pandemic had already been overcome. “Today we have a faster visa processing cadence than a couple of years ago.”
Currently, the visa approval rate at the Portuguese Embassy is around 83 percent and he assured that it will be better from next month.
At this time, the challenge lies in the speed of processing visas, as well as some consular acts, with emphasis on the speed in the design of resident cards, birth records and improvement of the communication system with users.
He justified the influx of Portuguese expatriates in Angolan companies with the shortage of technicians in the national market.
The minister announced that Angola had already paid 89 percent of its debts with Portuguese companies, with only 11 percent remaining to be paid.
João Gomes Cravinho said that to date, the Angolan government has already paid 520 million euros, out of a total of 585 million euros in certified debts. “We recognize the efforts that the Angolan Government has made to settle certified debts, which is why uncertified debts remain”.
The head of Portuguese diplomacy made a positive assessment of the two-day visit to Luanda and underlined that he chose Angola as his first destination after taking office, given its strategic importance in the context of foreign policy.
He reiterated Portugal’s interest in participating in the challenge of economic diversification, through companies with enormous experience in the tourism and agriculture sectors, where Angola has enormous potential.
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