Africa-Press – Angola. President João Lourenço received, on Friday, in an audience in Lisbon, the former Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, who personally thanked the Angolan Head of State for the “excellent relationship” they maintained over the eight years he was at the head of the Government.
“I came to personally thank President João Lourenço for what he had already done: the excellent relationship we have maintained over these eight years while I was Prime Minister. Wishing Angola and the relations between Portugal and Angola all the best,” said António Costa, at the end of the meeting.
Although Portugal has had a new government for almost three weeks, led by Luís Montenegro, from the PSD, the former secretary-general of the Socialist Party (PS) believes that relations between Angola and Portugal will continue as normal.
“They will certainly continue very well, (because) the relationship between Portugal and Angola is independent of each Government. State-to-State relations are central elements of Portugal’s foreign policy, so the relationship with Angola will be as if nothing had happened happened”, said António Costa.
What each Government has sought to do, throughout history, he said, is to add to what was done previously. “I can only hope – and I hope that this will be the strengthening of relations, because whoever arrives has new ideas and projects”, he said.
Recently removed from politics, António Costa assured that he will not return to it anytime soon. The priority, for now, is studies.
“Right now, my occupation is being a student at the Catholic University, where I am attending a postgraduate course in Contract Law, in Arbitration, an activity more compatible than practicing law”, he said.
The former Portuguese Prime Minister also confirmed that he will collaborate as a commentator on a new television channel that is to be launched in the coming months.
“I’m taking the opportunity to rest, go on a diet to lose weight and get used to the life of a normal citizen”, he said, smiling.
Despite this, António Costa assured that “Angola and Angolans can always count on me”, as “it is a country about which I have enormous admiration and great affection”.
President João Lourenço traveled to Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, where he participated, on Thursday, in the official commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution.
Symbolic moment
The former Prime Minister of Portugal considered the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution to be a “very symbolic moment”, in which the Heads of State of Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP) were present, as well as the President host and Timor-Leste.
“Yesterday (Thursday) the moment was very symbolic. We were able to have seven Heads of State celebrating the freedom that we achieved together.
As I have said several times, twin liberations”, highlighted António Costa, for whom the national liberation struggle, particularly in Angola, was decisive for the 25th of April to be possible and the 25th of April, in turn, came to accelerate the “necessary Independence of Angola, whose 50th anniversary we will celebrate together”.
António Costa also referred to the intervention of the Angolan Head of State in the official celebrations of the 25th of April. “I believe that, yesterday (Thursday), his speech was very clear about the importance and unique experience of our group of countries having had this process of joint liberation, in which the struggle of some helped the struggle of others and together we won. And that is what allowed the reopening of a new story and a new relationship, starting on April 25th”, said Costa.
As admitted by the Portuguese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, the former Prime Minister considered that President João Lourenço’s trip to Lisbon was a way for Portugal to thank what Angola did to bring about the events of the 25th of April.
“Without the struggle of the liberation movements, the dictatorship would probably have lasted longer. The struggle of the liberation movements was a decisive contribution to the 25th of April. It freed us and, by freeing us, it accelerated the liberation process and the end of colonialism. There were five centuries of colonialism that also ended on April 25th”, he maintained.
Compensation to former colonies
António Costa was asked by journalists to comment on the statements made by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who defends compensation from Portugal to the former colonies for damages resulting from colonialism.
The former Prime Minister agreed with the Portuguese President’s position, stating that “there are always new ways of doing it (compensation)”.
Without wanting to go into “concrete formulas”, António Costa recalled that when his Government took the decision to fully finance the construction of the Museum of the Struggle for National Liberation of Angola, it did so, on the one hand, out of gratitude, by recognizing that “this fight was essential for our own liberation, but also because we know that this was a war that created trauma in Portugal and in the thousands of Portuguese who were in Angola, as well as creating drama, tension and wounds on the Angolan side”.
“Many lost lives or were injured and suffered from the war. Therefore, this sense of reconciliation is largely based on the fact that the liberations were twins. But, obviously, it does not erase the past. And the way we have to do it is to always find, in the future, ways to overcome the wounds that came from the past”, defended the Portuguese politician, for whom this has been known and should continue to be done.
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