As part of the preparations, the Vice-President of the Republic held separate hearings this Tuesday with the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OEACP - European Union, Ana Rita Sithole, and the secretary-general of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States , Georges Chicoty.
In the meeting with Ana Rita Sithole, according to a Government statement, to which VerAngola had access, Esperança da Costa was informed about the preparations for the first session of the Joint Assembly between the OEACP and the EU, which starts this Wednesday, in the capital from the country.
"Tomorrow [Wednesday] is D-day when we will hold, for the first time, the first session within the scope of the Joint Assembly between the Organization of States of the OACP and the European Union. It is a great happiness for us, because Angola is an African country, and because I am from Mozambique, an African country, from SADC, and it is a sister country," said Ana Rita Sithole, speaking to the press at the end of the meeting.
On the occasion, the person responsible highlighted João Lourenço's "role" "in the decision to hold the session in Luanda", as it was initially planned for Niger, and thanked "the gesture".
"Due to the abnormal situation in which Niger finds itself, we had to help President João Lourenço, so that Angola can host this session", she said, quoted in the statement.
Furthermore, she also expressed "gratitude" to Angola "for hosting the meetings to set up the bodies of the Organization of States of the OEACP, within the scope of the Samoa Agreement", and also highlighted "the joint effort in negotiating the new agreement, signed in December 2023, after intense work".
Thus, she said that they have "been working on this cooperation with the European Union for the first 20 years, based on the Cotonou Agreement, which expired two years ago".
"We have been negotiating a new agreement, with completely different dynamics. It took a long time and a lot of sacrifice, both from our heads of state and the assemblies, to be able to reach a consensus. And finally, in December 2023, it was signed the Samoa Agreement", she added.
The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OEACP - European Union also highlighted the "commitment of fellow Angolan deputies to the installation of the organization's bodies and the creation of regional assemblies, including the Regional Assembly of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific", reads the statement.
Also this Tuesday, Esperança da Costa met with Georges Chicoty, who, in statements to the press at the end of the hearing, made it known that "of the 79 member countries of the OACP, 66 have already signed the Samoa Agreement, while 13 have not yet done so and they are being sensitized."
According to the official, they are currently "doing awareness work so that all countries can sign, over a period of six months".
Georges Chicoty also noted that the EU's Partnership Agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries "makes 30 billion dollars available for Africa, 800 million dollars for the Caribbean and 500 million dollars for the Pacific, to assist sustainable development throughout the next ten years", says the statement.
The secretary-general of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States said it was "non-refundable financing, a relatively important amount to help developing countries".
