"We have to work to improve and encourage the political will of our leaders for this region, because they are the ones who decide," said Afonso Eduardo.
The Angolan ambassador, who was speaking at the end of a visit to the Portuguese Republic Ship (NRP) "Setúbal", which has been docked at the port of Luanda since Monday, noted that "the parameters, recommendations and resolutions for the situation in the Gulf of Guinea already exist.
"Now we just need to convince the leadership to implement what the experts have already advised and we can take advantage of this initiative (NRP "Setubal") to leverage this area," said diplomat, without going into details.
Afonso Eduardo accompanied Portugal's ambassador to Angola, Pedro Pessoa e Costa, on his visit to the Portuguese vessel along with a delegation from the embassy in Luanda.
The Commission of the Gulf of Guinea, which includes several African countries, is an institutional tool for permanent cooperation between the coastal states in order to defend the common interests and peace in view of the constant maritime crime in the region, including piracy, robbery and smuggling.
According to the ambassador of Portugal in Angola, Pedro Pessoa e Costa, the European Union (EU) considered the area of the Gulf of Guinea as "an area of maritime importance and, therefore, integrated into the 'Open Sea' initiative," with "coordinated maritime presence.
"Which has already had, in fact, a relationship with developments with French, Spanish and Italian ships in the Gulf of Guinea, so this is a sign that the EU and Portugal has today the presidency of the Council of the European Union," said the Portuguese diplomat.
"It is a sign that this bilateral and multilateral cooperation is important in the area of security and therefore this coordinated maritime presence that took place is also a sign that the European Union can be a producer of maritime security," noted Pedro Pessoa e Costa.
The problem of the Gulf of Guinea was also commented by the commander of the NRP "Setúbal", Commander of the NRP, Commander Artur Jorge Martins Dias Marques, for whom the situation "requires the commitment of all States".
"There are 19 States operating in this region, it is six thousand kilometers of area from Senegal to southern Angola and requires a commitment from the States with the feeling that we all have together to repress this situation as quickly as possible," he concluded.
