Africa-Press – Angola. The Governments of Angola and Namibia signed, Tuesday (15), in Luanda, two legal instruments that will guarantee greater protection of business and strengthen relations between the two countries.
This is the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Trade, Investment and Promotion of Industrial Cooperation and the Agreement for the Creation of the Business Forum between the Chambers of Commerce of the two countries, signed following a meeting between delegations from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. and Industry and Commerce of the two countries.
The first instrument was signed by the Ministers of Industry and Commerce, Víctor Fernandes, and by the Namibian counterpart, Lúcia Iipumbu, with the testimony of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations of that country, Netumbo Nandi-Daitwa.
At the end of the meeting, Víctor Fernandes said that the Memorandum will cover three very important areas for the development of both countries, namely Investment, Trade and Industrialization.
The aim of the agreement, he said, is to create conditions so that business that may be carried out between the two countries is protected and takes place within a commonly accepted protocol and facilitates entrepreneurs on both sides in the pursuit of their objectives.
As for the content of the meeting, which took place behind closed doors, the minister stressed that the parties agreed that it does not make sense that a country like Namibia, close and with a lot of potential, is a few holes above Angola. “Our neighbors are the first destinations, whether in terms of investment, the search for knowledge or for trade”, he said.
For the Minister of Foreign Affairs, with the signing of the agreement, economic diplomacy between the two countries becomes more “Soon, the parties will move on to concrete actions, such as the Value Chain, a decision taken by Southern Africa and which has taken time to implement”, said Téte António.
Expanding political dialogue
The head of Angolan diplomacy stated that the Government intends to favor a cooperation model based on the promotion, expansion and increase of political dialogue at the highest level, on the main issues of African and international politics.
Addressing the Namibian business delegation accompanying the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of that country, Téte António said that the Angolan Executive also intends to privilege the creation of objective conditions for the approximation of businesses and the development of partnerships. private or public-private interests of mutual interest.
“The economic-trade relations between Angola and Namibia offer a vast field to be explored and, in this context, we consider important the continuity of bilateral talks for the identification of programs and actions that will guide the cooperation agenda”, he considered.
According to Téte António, Angola and Namibia have untapped potential and they must do everything in their power to ensure that cooperation meets the aspirations of each of the two States. at the level of the sectors already identified”, he considered.
Peace and Security in Africa
Referring to the international situation, with emphasis on the Covid-19 pandemic crisis and the various conflicts that are taking place in different regions of the world, the Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the availability of the Angolan Government to, within the possibilities, contribute to the solving global problems by peaceful means recognized by international law, with a view to guaranteeing peace and security.
“Angola assumes itself as a partner willing to share interests and cooperate in the construction of an increasingly better world”, highlighted Téte António.
In view of the current situation of political instability and conflicts experienced in some regions of the continent, he defended that Angola and Namibia should work together, both bilaterally and at the level of the African Union, in order to find sustainable mechanisms to guarantee peace. and security in Africa.
Téte António acknowledged that the visit by the Namibian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation takes place at a particular time in the political-diplomatic relations between the two countries, insofar as there is a mutual interest in strengthening cooperation, in particular in terms of Commercial sector.
Relations between the two countries, he recalled, date back to the historical ties of friendship, fraternity and solidarity, which culminated in the independence of Angola, on November 11, 1975, and of Namibia, on March 21, 1990.
At the end of the Yesterday afternoon, the parties signed, at the premises of the Angolan Private Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX), the agreement for the creation of the Angola-Namibia Business Forum between the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the two countries.
The agreement was signed by the presidents of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Angola and Namibia, Vicente Soares, and Jelson Uriab.
Namibian Head of State writes to Angolan counterpart
In statements to the press, after the signing of the first agreement, the Namibian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Daitwa, said that she brought with her a message from the Namibian President, Hage Geingob, to the Angolan counterpart João Lourenço.
The message from the Namibian Head of State is delivered today to President João Lourenço.
Nandi-Daitwa considered peace and security as essential requirements for development, which must be fulfilled by the parties to achieve the Development Agenda, whether at national, SADC and continental levels.
“You cannot talk about development in the absence of peace and security. In our countries, as well as in international forums, we make a modest contribution to addressing issues of peace and security in the region, on the continent and in the world in general,” he said.
Nandi-Daitwa promised that Namibia will continue to play an important role in this challenge.
Angola and Namibia, he recalled, have a long-standing historical connection that continues to be daily, with a view to strengthening relations. the blood and sweat shed by the two peoples, as well as the war and the struggle for liberation.
Netumbo Nandi-Daitwa defended that, after the two countries achieved independence, the time had come to centralize the relationship in this second phase that passes through Independence economic.
“Namibia knows that Angola is one of our strategic partners, mainly in the region and in this we share strategic resources that aim to guarantee the sustainability of our countries”, he said.
Nandi-Daitwa expressed satisfaction at the reopening of the border between Angola and Namibia, closed, necessarily, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The situation, he said, caused interference in economic activities, but with the opening of the border, the two countries have the opportunity to recover losses.
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