"The 14 years were not lost", told journalists the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, after holding the meeting of the VIII Joint Commission Cape Verde – Angola, this Saturday, in Praia.
"These 14 years don't mean that nothing has happened (...). Our relationship is such that we don't even feel it. But we think it is necessary to structure, precisely, our action", defended the minister, in joint statements with the Cape Verdean counterpart, Rui Figueiredo Soares.
This Saturday's meeting was chaired by the heads of diplomacy of the two countries, and precedes the State visit to the archipelago of the President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, from 13 to 16 March.
The minister recalled that the two countries have "more than a dozen agreements signed", but that "often" their implementation is the "Achilles' heel", and therefore an evaluation is necessary, placing the "focus" on the bilateral cooperation, through "pragmatic economic diplomacy" and a relationship "that brings concrete actions", as decided by both governments.
"I think that, judging by the results that we will have at the end of the visit of the head of state, President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço (...), it says everything about the materialization of that spirit", underlined Téte António.
"Regarding our bilateral cooperation, we believe that after 14 years without a joint commission, today we have made a certain turning point. A turn in the sense that we better structure our bilateral relationship with regard to economic cooperation. we had already identified before, but we also explore new ones that can adapt to current requirements", he added.
The official insisted that the two countries signed "many agreements, in the enthusiasm of a good relationship", but that a reassessment is necessary: "And we implement those agreements in which we have, each of us, a comparative advantage that can bring concrete results".
According to information provided by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration of Cape Verde, Rui Figueiredo Soares, on Monday, among other agreements, and in the presence of the President of the Republic of Angola, João Lourenço, and the Cape Verdean prime minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, for the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments.
"It is very important because we are going to create conditions for this cooperation to become effective, for our businessmen to effectively exchange experiences, such south-south cooperation", said the Cape Verdean minister, confirming the will to "make effective" the remaining agreements and thus "make them palpable".
The President, João Lourenço, began a four-day state visit to Cape Verde on Sunday, during which several cooperation agreements will be signed to "elevate relations" between the two countries.
The Cape Verdean Presidency announced in a statement that João Lourenço's visit to Cape Verde from 13 to 16 March takes place in return for the one that José Maria Neves made to Angola, in January, in what was his first State visit abroad, two months after taking office.
During his stay in the country's capital, the Angolan head of state will meet with his Cape Verdean counterpart, will speak at a special session in the National Assembly and will meet with the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, Ulisses Correia e Silva, with whom he will sign several cooperation agreements.
Still in Praia, João Lourenço will receive the keys to the city from the hands of the mayor Francisco Carvalho, will lay a wreath at the memorial of Amílcar Cabral and pay a visit to the Amílcar Cabral Foundation.
After Praia, the Angolan President will travel to Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, where he will visit points of economic interest, such as the Frescomar fish conservation company and the Desalinated Water Production Station, and will also receive the keys. of the city.
João Lourenço's visit to Cape Verde, continued the Cape Verdean Presidency, contributes to the consolidation of friendship and cooperation relations between the two countries.
"And to give the bilateral relationship a dimension consistent with the long common history, the intense cultural harmony and the excellent political understanding that has always prevailed between Angola and Cape Verde", reads the note.
Angola currently holds the rotating presidency of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), precisely succeeding Cape Verde.
