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Portugal praises Angola's change in behavior, more committed to peace in Africa

The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, praised on Friday in Addis Ababa Angola's greater diplomatic commitment to issues on the African continent, contrary to the recent past.

: Lusa
Lusa  

"Angola, here a few years ago, was somewhat reluctant to get involved in situations, conflicts in other parts of the continent. Today Angola has a strong presence and credibility that allows it to play a key role", he said, in an interview with Lusa, on the sidelines of the 36th African Union Summit.

And he gave the example of efforts to pacify the Great Lakes region, referring to the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but also in the Central African Republic, where "Angola also plays a very important role".

"For us, it is a great satisfaction to see Angola playing this role, we believe that it is a very positive role for the whole continent, because Angola is a country with weight and that influence was needed, in some way", added the Portuguese minister.

"I see my Angolan colleague very active", referring to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, and "President João Lourenço talking to the presidents of other countries", which "is extremely positive, I would say, for the CPLP " (Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries), currently chaired by Luanda.

In statements to Lusa, João Gomes Cravinho also addressed his recent trip to São Tomé and Príncipe, at a time when investigations are underway into an attack on a barracks in November, violently repressed by the authorities, with the death of four men in military custody.

"São Tomé is a brother country, Portugal is a country close to São Tomé, whatever the government", began by saying the minister, who said he did not take sides on the country's internal political situation.

"What I think I know about what happened on the 25th of November is that very soon, I think that within a period of three months, so until the 25th of this month, there will be a statement from the São Tomé Attorney General's Office on what who understands what happened and what the next steps should be", explained João Gomes Cravinho.

"Portugal, in this regard, is an external observer, a friendly observer, an observer who contributed in a first phase with the support of the Judiciary Police, the Institute of Legal Medicine and provided the contribution of experts", he explained, adding: "Now the Sao Tome institutions do their job".

In recent days it was also reported that the leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC, the largest opposition party in Guinea-Bissau), Domingos Simões Pereira, was once again prevented from leaving the country.

Saying he was unaware of this specific case, Gomes Gravinho stressed that Guinea-Bissau was already experiencing "a pre-electoral environment", referring to the legislative elections scheduled for June.

However, "it's important that institutions work fairly for everyone," he added.

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