Africa-Press – Angola. Angola’s ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative to the African Union (AU), Miguel Bembe, highlighted, this Monday, the growing trust, respect, prestige and influence of Angola and its leadership at regional and continental levels and international.
He emphasized that this prestige has been reinforced and consolidated by the political agenda of President João Lourenço who, in addition to being Champion of the African Union for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa, is 1st Vice-President of the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the AU to 2024, as he prepares to preside over this continental organization in February 2025.
The diplomat was speaking at the eighth thematic session on João Lourenço, the AU Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa: “Contribution to the Building of a Stable and Prosperous Integrated Continent”, which brought together political analysts, diplomats, journalists, representatives of civil society , between others.
In his dissertation, he highlighted the fact that the country is, for the fourth time, a member of the AU Peace and Security Council (2024-2026), whose mandate began in April and will preside over this continental body during the month of July of this year.
He noted that the macro security framework in Africa has been marked, in recent years, by the exponential proliferation of armed and terrorist groups in the five regions of the continent, namely, Southern, Central, Western, Eastern and Northern.
He recalled that, due to the worsening of the insecurity situation in Mozambique, President João Lourenço proposed, in Addis Ababa, the holding of an Extraordinary Summit on Terrorism in Africa, to address in depth this problem that has torn apart and continues to affect the continent , as well as delaying the realization of the “Africa we want”.
It was at the 16th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union, held on May 28, 2022, that President João Lourenço was designated by the heads of State and Government as AU Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa.
According to the diplomat, the Angolan Head of State condemned and maintains his position against attempts to establish autocratic regimes and unconstitutional changes of government on the continent, as they constitute a threat to peace, stability, security, development and protection of human rights.
He said that it was as President-in-Office of the International Conference on the Greater Region that João Lourenço was mandated, by the AU, to undertake political-diplomatic measures, within the scope of mediating the growing tension on the common border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Previous initiatives
Ambassador Miguel César Bembe said that before the Malabo Summit was held in May 2022, João Lourenço’s political agenda was dominated by initiatives in favor of peace, stability and security in the regions in which Angola is located, as essential conditions for economic and social development.
He also recalled that given the deterioration of relations between Rwanda and Uganda, which led to the closure of the Gatuna/Katuna common border in 2019, with multidimensional consequences for the respective populations, Angola decided, at the time, to make its usual contribution to the normalization of bilateral relations.
According to the diplomat, Angola’s efforts led to the signing of the Luanda Memorandum of Understanding between the parties, on August 21, 2021.
Economic diplomacy
The ambassador noted that President João Lourenço chose economic diplomacy as one of the main vectors of foreign policy and the defense of the State’s interests, having also defined the need for a more active presence of Angola on the African continent.
He pointed out that, due to its history, Angola is considered an essential actor in the process of promoting and achieving continental stability and security.
He emphasized that the country has developed dynamic cooperation with the most varied international partners, in terms of prevention, management and peaceful resolution of conflicts, consolidation of peace and economic and social progress.
He considered the binomial “security/development” as a central and priority axis of the political-diplomatic actions of Angolan foreign policy at regional level, at the same time that it makes its weight felt in major continental and international issues.
He said that it is in this context that the Angolan Head of State defends the in-depth exploration of the roots of conflicts in Africa, with emphasis on the political, economic, social and cultural factors that fuel them.
For him, this holistic and transdisciplinary approach offers a structural perspective to understand how economic development and social progress can play a fundamental role in preventing conflict and building sustainable peace on the continent.
Praise for João Lourenço’s leadership
The diplomat said that, under the leadership of President João Lourenço, Angola has contributed to the acceleration of the regional integration process, through the continuous development of economic diplomacy, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
In this context, he highlighted the appreciation of the African continent, on the route of the various visits received and carried out by the President of the Republic, the reactivation of Bilateral Commissions and the signing of legal cooperation instruments, especially with some African countries of strategic interest.
He made it known that the participation of President João Lourenço, in the 16th US-Africa Business Summit in Dallas, on May 7, 2024, as First Vice-President of the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union was an opportunity to reiterate the call for investment by the American private sector on the continent and in Angola, in particular.
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