Africa-Press – Angola. The national political news of the week that ended (Saturday), was marked by intense presidential activity, including outside the country.
Internally, the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, dedicated two of the last seven days to receiving Letters of Credence from ten ambassadors accredited to Angola, six of whom are residents and four with non-resident status.
These are the new resident diplomats from Uganda, Julius Katembeka, Vietnam, Duong Chue, Senegal, Ndao Malik, from Turkey, Ufuk Ekici, from Cape Verde, Júlio de Morais, and from the United Arab Emirates, Salem Alshamsi.
The group is completed by non-residents Nester Navarro, from Uruguay, Julio Fiol (Chile), Mlondi Dlamini (Eswatini) and Tegan Brink, from Australia.
During the period in question, the Angolan Head of State received, in audience, the president of the Eximbank of the United States of America, Reta Jo Lewis, with whom he analyzed the cooperation between the two countries, in particular the projects financed by that institution.
João Lourenço also addressed, during a telephone conversation, bilateral and regional issues with King Philip of Belgium.
Political-diplomatic relations between the Republic of Angola and the Kingdom of Belgium began in 1979, at the top of the partnership being the Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation Agreement, signed on April 26, 1983, a document that defined the regulatory legal framework for bilateral cooperation and established the Joint Commission.
Beyond borders, the President of the Republic ended yesterday a two-day State visit to Botswana, considered historic by the Tswanese counterpart, Mokqueetsi Eric Mosisi, due to the fact that it took place at a time when the country is preparing to host, in Luanda, the next Ordinary Summit of SADC and assume the presidency of this regional organization based in the Tswanese capital, Gaborone.
As part of the visit, delegations from the respective countries held official talks.
Speaking at the opening of the talks, João Lourenço highlighted, among others, the reforms implemented in the diamond sector in that southern African country, having considered an example to be followed by Angola, and thanked Botswana for its support in Angola’s candidacy for the presidency of the African Union (AU) for the year 2025.
Angola and Botswana established diplomatic relations on February 18, 1976 and have potential areas of cooperation in the diamond, education, health and environment sectors.
During the last seven days, issues related to human rights and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also echoed in the news.
The Secretary of State for Human Rights and Citizenship, Ana Celeste Januário, reaffirmed the commitment of the Angolan Government to work towards the promotion and protection of these rights in the country.
The official, who was speaking during the seminar on the “UN System and the realization of economic, social and cultural rights”, added that, in this sense, cooperation and partnership with the United Nations system is being strengthened.
However, he recognized the challenges to be faced and made it known that Angola, as part of the African and United Nations human rights conventions, had ratified 10, signed 11 conventions, out of a total of 12, and presented 10 reports, in addition to 27 others presented and defended by members of the Inter-sectoral Commission for the Preparation of National Reports on Human Rights.
On the occasion, the national director of Human Rights, Yanick Bernardo, said that the country has received from international organizations indicators of substantial improvements on the matter.
He explained that recognition was based on reports presented at the level of the African Human Rights System and the United Nations, as well as invitations to international rapporteurs from various UN mechanisms, which constitutes one of the many variables for assessing the national situation.
The Permanent Representative of Angola to the United Nations, Francisco da Cruz, highlighted, in New York, the commitment to the 2030 Agenda, considering that the country is committed to its implementation for Sustainable Development, with the aim of achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In the party chapter, the MPLA accused UNITA of orchestrating a “strategy of taking power outside the current institutional political framework”.
According to its secretary for Information, Rui Falcão, who reacted to a UNITA initiative “for the constitution of the Process of Accusation and Removal of the President of the Republic”, the opposition party has a “subversive and immature” political agenda.
This political formation announced, last Wednesday, the intention to take to Parliament a legal file that aims, in essence, to remove the President of the Republic.
Among other allegations, UNITA points out alleged violations of the Constitution, interference in the legislative, judicial power and in the National Bank of Angola, by the holder of the Executive Power, allegations that the MPLA refutes.
For Rui Falcão, the seriousness of the accusations against the President demonstrates that, with this attitude, UNITA has an agenda to create chaos in the institutions of the State.
According to the politician, the strategy of creating a climate of institutional instability has been applied with permanent recourse to the discredit of State institutions and the attempt to create a political framework that justifies the popular uprising and the rise of UNITA to the exercise of power, without democratic legitimacy.
He noted that UNITA’s attitude demonstrates a total disrespect for Angolans and their sovereign will, manifested in the polls, on 24 August 2022.
Another highlight last week was Angola’s participation in the 25th Meeting of the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Cooperation in Politics, Defense and Security body, held in Windhoek, capital of Namibia, whose delegation was headed by the Minister of National Defence, Former Combatants and Veterans of the Fatherland, João Ernesto dos Santos.
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