Africa-Press – Angola. The Secretary of Defense of the United States of America (USA), Lloyd Austin III, highlighted this Wednesday, in Luanda, the historic opportunity that the two countries have to strengthen relations in this field, with special emphasis on the sector maritime.
Lloyd Austin III, who spoke at the opening of talks between military delegations from the two countries, also welcomed cooperation in the Atlantic area.
In his statements, he highlighted the fact that he was the first North American Secretary of Defense to travel to Angola, which at the same time signifies the value that the United States of America gives to relations between the two countries.
For the North American official, the two countries currently have a great opportunity to deepen cooperation in the field of maritime defense, defense policy, doctrine, among other areas.
Lloyd Austin also expressed his country’s satisfaction at being with its allies, fighting against threats such as climate change and illegal fishing.
Along these lines, he expressed the willingness of the US Department of Defense to continue cooperating with Angola, as the country is modernizing its Armed Forces, a matter in which he expressed his interest in his country’s participation.
To those present, he also highlighted the fact that Angola’s defense forces are helping to fight against the forces that are trying to destabilize the region, presenting as an example the support for the defense forces of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in Mozambique, as well as the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In turn, the Minister of State and Head of the Military House of the President of the Republic, General Francisco Pereira Furtado, said he hopes that negotiations between the two countries can achieve the objectives set so that they can, in fact, have a broad cooperation program .
This (cooperation), once defined, argued General Francisco Pereira Furtado, must begin immediately to be implemented from January 2024.
In Angola since Tuesday, for a 24-hour visit, as part of a tour of Africa, which has already taken him to Djibouti and Kenya, the North American official was received in audience, this Wednesday morning, by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
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