Francisco Alegre Duarte told journalists that the Russia/Ukraine conflict was not addressed in the brief meeting he had with João Lourenço and stressed that Portugal respects Angola's position on the issue.
"We didn't talk about it, we have different positions, it's true. Portugal vehemently condemned the aggression of Russia, the invasion of Ukraine, a country with which we are in solidarity and that's how we acted within the framework of the European Union, within the framework of NATO, within the framework of the Nations Nations", highlighted the diplomat who recently arrived in Luanda and who this Wednesday took up his duties in full.
"We are very concerned about the humanitarian consequences, even the possible war crimes that may be committed, we support the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and all the involvement of the United Nations in the sense of creating humanitarian corridors to alleviate suffering. of the populations, but we have different positions and we respect the position of Angola", he added.
Angola was one of the 35 countries that abstained from voting on the UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and which had the support of 141 of the 193 United Nations Member States, including Portugal.
Five new ambassadors were accredited this Wednesday in Angola. In addition to Portugal, the ambassadors of Spain, the Netherlands, Israel and the United Kingdom delivered their credentials, with new representatives from the United States of America, Palestine, Bulgaria, Malawi and Bangladesh being expected in the afternoon.
The Spanish ambassador, Manuel Lobo, told journalists that the two countries share "affinities" and "sister languages", showing confidence in the "promising future" of the relationship with Angola, a country with increasing weight in sub-Saharan Africa and in foreign policy.
Manuel Lobo also expressed his government's and other European countries' concerns about the events in Ukraine, also stressing that he respects the Angolan government's view on the matter.
The ambassador of the Netherlands, Tsjeard Hoestra, also expressed his satisfaction with the new mission in Angola "despite the difficult times that Europe and the whole world are going through".
The Dutch diplomat stressed that his priority is to strengthen economic relations, announcing that, later this month, a consortium of Dutch companies will sign an agreement with the Angolan government to create a logistics center and cold chain for the export of Angolan fruit.
Roger Stringer, the new ambassador of the United Kingdom, also addressed some of his country's priorities, with emphasis on economic partnerships, the environment, education, women's empowerment and support for democracy and freedom.
