"It will be our first state visit to a country in sub-Saharan Africa and, therefore, we are looking forward to it with particular enthusiasm", said Felipe VI this week, in Madrid, during an intervention before the Spanish diplomatic corps.
The King highlighted the efforts that Spain has made to increase the number of embassies in Africa, as well as "the increase in contacts at different levels" with African countries.
The head of state of Spain added that Africa is "a vast and plural continent, with infinite needs and full of possibilities for cooperation", with a view to its development.
"It is a continent of opportunity and future, which requires the construction of lasting trust and genuine interest in shared development", said Felipe VI, who referred to Spain's capacity for "multilateral action".
The announcement of Felipe VI's trip to Angola coincided with the trip, this week, of the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, to Niger, Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau, to "reaffirm Spain's commitment" to Africa and emphasize that the continent will be a priority of the european presidency that madrid will assume in july.
In 2021, the Spanish Government presented the "Foco África 2023" plan, with which it seeks to mark a turning point in relations with the African continent and diversify its diplomatic influence outside Europe, traditionally centered on Latin America and North Africa.
"Focus Africa 2023" considers Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa as "anchor countries" and, as "priority countries", the Portuguese-speaking Angola and Mozambique, as well as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania.
"Africa is a continent with a growing geostrategic importance and key in our country's external action. Spain wants to establish solid alliances with African countries so that we can face together the challenges that we have in common", said the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, on October 27 last year.
According to Sánchez, "the climate emergency is without a doubt" the greatest of these common challenges, to which he added "the energy transition that this climate emergency entails", "technological evolution", food security or migratory movements.
Sánchez was in Kenya and South Africa in 2022, after having visited Senegal and Angola in 2021.
