"The war in Ukraine, which has persisted for more than a year, risks gaining proportions that increasingly threaten world peace and security, so everything must be done to prevent the escalation of the conflict," said João Lourenço in the city of Menongue, province of Cuando Cubango.
For the President "it is necessary for there to be a dialogue between Russia and Ukraine for the establishment of a ceasefire that opens the way to the negotiation of a definitive peace, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be respected as enshrined in International Law and in the Charter of the United Nations to which we are all bound to respect".
João Lourenço recalled that Angola defended itself against the aggression of the apartheid army in South Africa, "but when it came to negotiating peace, it had to be done with the involvement of other States, negotiating and signing the New York quadripartite agreements".
Accordingly, he noted, "we support not only the need to establish direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, between Russia and the United States, but also between Russia and NATO to ensure a lasting peace not only for Ukraine, but for Europe and the world".
"Avoiding in this way a dangerous nuclear confrontation", he stressed, while speaking at the opening of the meeting of Angolan military leaders, taking place in that southern province of Angola.
Speaking as Commander-in-Chief of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), João Loureço also referred that the moment "is crucial" to start taking "concrete steps" in the search for solutions to achieve peace (in Ukraine) "by business way".
"So we don't regret it later", also considering that this is the "right time" for concrete steps to be taken to carry out "necessary reforms" in the United Nations Security Council, the IMF, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization Business.
The head of state, who is chairing the meeting of Angolan military leaders, has been in Cuando Cubango since Tuesday, where he attended the military maneuvers of the three branches of the FAA.
These maneuvers "took place in the month of May, the year in which humanity's victory over Nazism is celebrated, responsible for the loss of 50 million human lives, including those of the Jewish people, victims of the holocaust", he recalled.
"Despite important achievements, today's world is still not as safe as it would be desired, dangerous occurrences continue to arise in the world such as the threat of nuclear confrontation, international terrorism", he stressed.
Unconstitutional seizures of power, wars of aggression, invasion, occupation and annexation of part of the territories of sovereign countries and mercenarism at the service of States, he said, also put world security at risk.
He also considered, in his speech, that the world "follows with great attention and concern" the tension on the Korean peninsula, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel region in Africa, in the east of the DRC, in Mozambique and in the Horn of Africa.
"We encourage the belligerent parties in Sudan to establish a ceasefire to negotiate a definitive peace that puts an end to the war that in just a few days claimed hundreds of lives, created thousands of internally displaced people and refugees to neighboring countries", further defended João Lourenço .
The meeting of FAA military leaders takes place under the motto "In Peace, Strengthen the Armed Forces". The army, air force and navy are the three branches of the Angolan Armed Forces.
