Blinken ended his African tour this Thursday with a visit to Angola, where he met with the President, João Lourenço, and his counterpart, Téte António, and received an invitation for the North American President, Joe Biden, to visit Luanda.
Among the topics of the "productive conversation" he held with João Lourenço were issues that interest both countries, including prosperity, climate change and food security, as well as the Lobito corridor project (railway link that crosses Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo), and which has North American financing, considering that it has transformative potential.
Blinken classified Angola as "a reliable partner", with whom solutions for peace on the continent and investments in areas such as health and renewable energy were also discussed.
In a moment of questions and answers with four journalists, from the Angolan press and the North American press, Blinken highlighted that investments are creating more opportunities and jobs and can turn Angola into a 'hub' for transport and communications.
And he also praised João Lourenço's efforts to create a better environment for business, including the fight against corruption.
"We had a good conversation about what is being done in terms of reforms", he said, noting that, in addition to initiatives to combat corruption, the topic of local elections and expanding the space given to the 'media' was discussed, issues raised in a letter addressed to him by opposition leaders.
For the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte Antonio, this is "a crucial phase of implementation of the signed instruments", of which 15 establish cooperation mechanisms, and sectoral dialogues are being developed to boost other areas.
The head of Angolan diplomacy pointed to the Lobito corridor as the current flag of joint action, for which "the greatest possible ambition" must be had due to the multiplier effect as an enterprise, logistical bases that are being created, impact on the population and prospects for be linked in the future between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
Téte António also said that the role of diplomats is to open the way so that "the rest of society can follow", referring to the entry of more North American companies into Angola.
