Ver Angola

Society

Belgium distinguishes activist Rafael Marques for contribution to civil society

The Belgian government distinguished this Wednesday the Angolan activist Rafael Marques de Morais, among other personalities, in recognition of the services rendered to Angola, as a member of civil society, announced the Belgian ambassador, Jozef Smets.

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The decoration, awarded by King Filipe of Belgium, was delivered by the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadja Lahbib, who began an official visit to Angola on Tuesday.

The activist and journalist, founder of the Maka Angola website, said he was surprised by the distinction, which he considered "an honor and a responsibility to do better for Angola".

"It was a pleasant surprise, I think it is a form of support and solidarity with civil society in Angola, so that it grows and can do its work independently", he stressed.

This Wednesday morning, the Belgian minister met with her counterpart, Téte António, with whom she reviewed aspects of bilateral relations and cooperation and was received in audience by the President, João Lourenço.

According to Angolan news agency Angop, the Belgian minister for Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade and Cultural Institutions expressed to João Lourenço her interest in cooperating with Angola in the renewable energy sector.

She also welcomed the convergence of views on the conflict in Ukraine, supporting recent statements by João Lourenço, who defended a unilateral ceasefire on the part of Russia.

In a speech this Wednesday at the Belgian Embassy in Luanda, Hadja Lahbib addressed the objective of "continuing and intensifying" the relationship with the African country in various areas, including in the field of diamonds.

She also welcomed Angola's active diplomacy in the Great Lakes region, namely the Luanda Roadmap to re-establish dialogue between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, stressing that the European Union is also defining a strategy that will contribute to stabilization in that region.

She also invited her counterpart to visit Brussels, an invitation promptly accepted by the Angolan diplomat.

Angola and Belgium have maintained political-diplomatic relations since 1979 and are present in key sectors of the economy such as mines and diamonds, transport (with partnerships at port level) and demining.

In the public consultations carried out this Wednesday by the two technical delegations, the progress of the procedures for the conclusion of several bilateral agreements in the most varied domains, including transport and justice and the possible organization of the Joint Commission, was reviewed.

Prospects for multilateral cooperation were discussed, namely in the environmental and climate domains, as well as analysis of recent developments in the Great Lakes region and in Europe.

The ministers also expressed concern regarding the prevailing situation of violence against the populations in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo "and noted with satisfaction Angola's commitment within the regional organizations in order to reinforce peace and stability in the region, including in the Republic Central Africa", according to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministers also addressed the war in Ukraine, "having expressed their concern about the humanitarian situation and the human suffering caused by this war, whose negative effects are also felt throughout the world".

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