"Let there be no doubt that we are determined to make this a reality. The fact that there are no local authorities in Angola is an anomaly. The normal thing is that we work to correct this situation and I believe that we are getting closer and closer to being able to make this possible", said João Lourenço, when questioned by journalists after the meeting with the President of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, as part of the state visit he is carrying out to the archipelago.
"Things must be done well, power must be based on the law and it is not just a law, it is a package of laws that we call the municipal legislative package. The number of laws that comprise this package is quite large, fortunately a large majority of these laws have already been approved by the National Assembly, only one remains. Hence the fact that I say that at the moment we are very close to being able to start implementing local authorities in Angola", he also said, in statements at the Presidential Palace, in beach town.
The head of state said that this "will happen as soon as" the municipal legislative package is closed, which should happen "when the National Assembly so decides".
"If you haven't done so until now, well, you'll have your reasons there. We know that there is a little difficulty there, of lack of consensus, especially regarding an issue, whether the elections will be held simultaneously or not. But I believe that common sense will eventually prevail and as soon as this is overcome, then the head of state will be able to call the elections", said João Lourenço.
After the meeting with his Cape Verdean counterpart, the President meets in the early afternoon, at the Government Palace, in Praia, with the Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, prior to the presentation of the results of the VIII Joint Cooperation Commission Bilateral Cape Verde – Angola.
According to the Cape Verdean Government, on the same occasion, in the presence of João Lourenço and Ulisses Correia e Silva, legal documents in the field of air transport will be signed, namely providing for the transfer to the Cape Verdean state airline TACV, under a leasing', of a Boeing 737-700 by the Angolan TAAG, as well as an Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, involving the two governments.
"But we also want to learn from Cape Verde in terms of municipal power (...). And we certainly have a lot to learn from Cape Verde. We are modest enough to recognize that in this domain it is here, and in other countries, where we must seek experience and knowledge to implement municipal power in Angola", said João Lourenço, referring to 30 years of Cape Verdean municipal power.
This afternoon, a Bilateral Agreement on Air Services will also be signed between the two governments, a Memorandum of Understanding on Air Transport between the transport ministries of the two countries, and a Memorandum of Technical Cooperation between the Civil Aviation Agency of Cape Verde (AAC) and the Angolan Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), followed by a joint press statement by João Lourenço and Ulisses Correia e Silva.
The head of state arrived in Praia on Sunday and started the official program of the state visit to Cape Verde this Monday, repaying the one carried out last January by the Cape Verdean President, José Maria Neves, to Luanda.
This afternoon, João Lourenço will speak at a special session at the National Assembly and on Tuesday he will travel to Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, where he will visit points of economic interest, such as the fish conservation company Frescomar and the Estação of Desalinated Water Production, in addition to receiving the keys to the city.
The departure from Cape Verde, from the island of São Vicente, is scheduled for Wednesday.
