"Angola will hold general elections in a few months. The people will be called upon to choose their representatives and we hope that, despite the current challenges, namely those related to the current global health crisis, everything will go well" , said the head of state this Monday, at the National Assembly, where he completed another stage of his three-day visit to Angola.
José Maria Neves criticized "the pettiness and the most primary feelings" of those who try to shield themselves with successive doses of vaccines against covid-19, while Africa struggles to immunize 10 percent of its population, lamenting "the shameful inequality in access to vaccines and now to screening tests".
He considered, before the Angolan parliamentarians, that this crisis could also be an opportunity for Africa to make "a deep reflection", creating its own solutions for the future and investing even more in education, science, research and health so as not to be again vulnerable when new pandemics emerge.
"We have to re-equate priorities and impose more demand and quality on the definition of public policies and their implementation. In particular, we have to be in tune in the fight against health threats, some of which are already old, and we have to have the determination and the wit to set in motion a strong diplomacy for health and health security", he urged.
But, he noted, "it is not only at the health level that the dysfunctions exist", pointing out weaknesses in multilateral institutions, namely the UN, which has often proved incapable of regulating conflicts.
"The Security Council is very far from mirroring the current geopolitical reality, as it still remains a pale portrait of the post-war reality", advocated the President of Cape Verde, suggesting that this body should be more representative and extended, Africa reserving the right to permanent seats.
He also addressed the tensions and instability on the African continent, advocating the consolidation of democratic institutions from the courts to the Armed Forces, through the free press and electoral administration bodies.
"We must strive for a climate of peace and political stability. A republican posture must be demanded from the military, with respect for power legitimized by the ballot box", he continued, demanding "zero tolerance in relation to coups d'état", affirmed José Maria Neves.
He then said that the situation in Cabo Delgado (northern Mozambique), the scene of armed attacks, is worrying, hoping that the "brother people of Mozambique can, in the short term, enjoy a climate of peace and tranquility" and repudiating all terrorist acts.
He reiterated to the deputies of the National Assembly the "immense and justified joy" of making Angola, a "beautiful and welcoming sister country", his first State visit, saying that he was the bearer of a message that reflects "the feeling of hope, very characteristic of the people of the islands, and so necessary in these uncertain times that humanity is going through".
He spoke about the "special and solid" ties that unite the two countries and that were decisive in the emergence of the generation of nationalists who "marked the emancipatory path towards our national independence, highlighting in particular the paths of two leaders, the Angolan Agostinho Neto and Amílcar Cabral.
He reinforced the idea, already conveyed throughout the day, of the "fraternal welcome" that Cape Verdeans find in Angola, where there is the largest Cape Verdean community in Africa, and said that the increase in commercial and business relations between the two countries is clearly visible.
"On our part, there is a firm intention to increase and extend these same relationships to other sectors of activity, thus corresponding to the legitimate aspirations of our citizens, especially those most linked to the entrepreneurial economic initiative", stressed José Maria das Neves, who accompany a delegation representing the country's Chambers of Commerce during its visit.
The president of the National Assembly, Fernando Dias dos Santos, also highlighted the "unbreakable ties" and the "excellent relationship of friendship and cooperation" between the two countries and also addressed the "democratic process" that "has become the only legitimizing instrument for decades". of the exercise of power" in Angola.
He highlighted the excellent cooperation relationship that the parliaments of the two countries maintain, however, expressing openness to strengthening this relationship in the sense of a "more dynamic cooperation" embodied in more visits by parliamentarians and exchanges of experiences.
