This state visit by the President of the Republic "is part of the desire to strengthen political, cultural and economic ties between France and Angola", declared the French Presidency, at a time when France is losing influence in the African Sahel region.
Recalling that João Lourenço is preparing to take over the presidency of the African Union (AU) in February, the French presidency adds that "the two presidents will also discuss a series of major regional and international issues".
President João Lourenço is also the AU-appointed mediator in the conflict between Kigali and Kinshasa.
Since November 2021, the March 23 Movement (M23), an armed group backed by Rwanda, has seized vast swathes of territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRCongo), which is rich in natural resources and has been torn apart by conflict for 30 years.
In December, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame were due to meet in Luanda, at the latter's initiative, for peace talks, but the two sides failed to agree on the terms, which led to the last-minute cancellation of the summit.
Emmanuel Macron, who visited Angola in March 2023, supports President João Lourenço's mediation efforts in the Great Lakes crisis, according to the presidential note.
During the French president's visit to Luanda, the two countries also signed a partnership agreement aimed at developing the agricultural and agri-food sectors in Angola, a major oil producer with ambitions to diversify its economy.