Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, defended, this Monday, the implementation, without further hesitation, of the UN Security Council resolutions, for the creation of the true State of Palestine.
When delivering the Message on the State of the Nation, at the Solemn Opening Session of the Parliamentary Year 2023-2024, he mentioned that this State must have the security guarantees in peaceful coexistence of Israel and Palestine.
He highlighted that everything must be done to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, a small strip of land inhabited by more than two million human beings, without water, food, medical assistance and the possibility of exit, an “open-air prison reduced to rubble.”
“Let us have the courage to take this historic step, which presents itself as the only viable and definitive solution to put an end to a conflict that has taken so many human lives,” he said, referring to the UN CS resolutions.
He mentioned that the incapacity demonstrated so far by the United Nations Security Council in the face of the need to resolve conflicts that threaten international peace and security reinforces the conviction of the urgency of carrying out the necessary reforms of this body, repeatedly announced but never implemented, due to lack of interest from some world powers.
As if that were not enough, continued the Head of State, we have been witnessing with considerable apprehension the worsening and escalation of tension in the Middle East since the 7th of this month, with the reprehensible attack on Israel which, regrettably, killed a large number of defenseless civilians.
João Lourenço highlighted that although Israel has the right to defend itself, to protect the lives of its citizens, the truth is that this same right also has the Palestinian people, who have been living for decades in a situation of continuous occupation and annexation of parts of the its territory, an unacceptable situation in the 21st century.
By the way, he stressed that world leaders are taking initiatives to put an end to the carnage we are witnessing, so that common sense prevails, there is the necessary containment and avoid, as much as possible, putting lives at risk. of civilians, women, children and old people on both sides.
He recalled that Angola defends a peaceful solution to international conflicts within the framework of the United Nations Charter and International Law and has appealed to the belligerents for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, an essential premise for the negotiated resolution of conflicts through diplomatic channels.
Despite this adverse context, João Lourenço assured that Angola’s foreign policy remains active, focusing mainly on the areas of economic diplomacy, the search for solutions to conflicts in Africa, multilateralism, consular assistance and protection for our communities in the diaspora, as well as continuous staff training.
“The Republic of Angola maintains cordial diplomatic relations with all States, based on the basic principles of international law, and has made its voice heard in various regional, continental and global spaces, defending a world of peace, mutually advantageous relations between States, respect for sovereign equality and the territorial integrity of States and a more balanced world order”, he said.
He highlighted that, regrettably, “we saw the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine”, the end of which is taking a long time to come, negatively impacting international relations, creating a framework of uncertainty and opening space for a confluence between the humanitarian, food, economic and energy, unprecedented in the recent history of humanity.
In terms of economic diplomacy, the President of the Republic said that in addition to the continuous objectives of attracting direct foreign investment, stimulating national exports, among others, present on the agenda of State visits, he is looking with increasing interest at the opportunities regional and continental areas with the aim of improving economic cooperation with African countries.
The concession of the Lobito Corridor to an international consortium formed by European companies and the Angola-DRC Economic Forum held in Kinshasa are examples of the commitment to contributing to regional integration, to shorten international maritime routes and facilitate world trade.
He argued that the diplomatic agenda has been very dedicated to peace in Africa, adding that a country like Angola, which has lived through almost three decades of military conflict and knows the harm of conflicts from experience, cannot remain indifferent to conflicts in sister countries.
“We have been following and making a great effort to positively influence the end of the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on which the Luanda Roadmap was signed in November 2022, which has been implemented and allowed the signing of the ceasefire in force since March of this year”, he highlighted.
The Head of State was also concerned about the conflict that broke out in Sudan, which has caused a considerable number of deaths, injuries, internally displaced people, refugees in neighboring countries and the destruction of infrastructure and national heritage.
He stated that due to the repercussions it has, the destabilization it could cause in a vast region of neighboring countries, this war, of which little is said, should have already given rise to the urgent convening of an extraordinary Summit of the African Union.
In his view, terrorism and unconstitutional changes of governments legitimized at the polls by popular vote in the Shel and West Africa region are also reasons to be permanently on the continental organization’s agenda.
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