João Gomes Cravinho was speaking to journalists as he left a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, in the capital of Angola, a country he chooses as his first destination for a bilateral visit, after being sworn in in this role two weeks ago.
"For Portugal, and for me, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, the relationship with Angola is unique and we want to encourage it even more", he declared, stressing that more than a diplomatic matter, the relationship between Portugal and Angola "is a matter of the people".
During the meeting with Téte António, some of the most salient aspects of the bilateral relationship were reviewed and "pathways" were identified to achieve the objectives in the near future.
Among these, he identified "the big work" of recovery from the crisis caused by the pandemic, so the economic relationship "will be one of the great fields of work" for the two countries.
"Some issues that need further streamlining" were also identified, including visas and support for entrepreneurs.
"We need to improve the treatment of visas, in both directions, but especially here at the Consulate General in Luanda. We need to create better conditions for Portuguese entrepreneurs to be able to work not only in traditional sectors, such as construction, but also in areas such as agriculture, tourism and energy", said the minister, underlining the "very significant" potential of Angola.
Gomes Cravinho also congratulated Angola for the way it has been dealing with the presidency of the CPLP and indicated that in June there will be a ministerial meeting of the organization "to deal with some issues again".
Asked about the political situation in Angola, the head of Portuguese diplomacy said that he "follows, as in the whole world", but considered that the most relevant thing for Portugal is the "closer relations" between the two countries in the political, economic, diplomatic and human fields.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, highlighted, for his part, "the symbolism" of this first visit of his counterpart to Angola, reiterating that this is a relationship that wants to be "developed in every way" and in multiple areas.
"In all areas we want to develop a productive relationship with Portugal", he reinforced.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs then left for the Presidential Palace, where he will be received this morning by the President, João Lourenço.
