Pedro e Costa, who was speaking at the end of a meeting with Luísa Damião, vice-president of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), said that aspects of the bilateral relationship were reviewed, also taking the opportunity to congratulate the Angolan authorities on the effort they have been making to combat the covid-19 pandemic.
The Portuguese diplomat stressed that he also emphasized the effort that is being made and has been having results in the fight against corruption, which should be understood as a common effort, so that there are reforms and Angola becomes more and more a reference in the African continent and in the world.
For Pedro e Costa, corruption must be increasingly understood as something that mortgages the present of many people.
"I also had the opportunity to talk about the issue of vaccination, about the importance of the vaccine and that this vaccination process is increasingly democratic and said that Portugal reiterates its commitment to the allocation to PALOP [Portuguese Speaking African Countries] of 5 percent of the vaccines it purchases, which means about one million covid-19 vaccines for the PALOP and Timor-Leste," he said.
According to the Portuguese ambassador, the bilateral cooperation between the two countries is "very special, of great complicity, of great friendship, and that goes beyond the relationship between governments, between countries, it is a people relationship".
Pedro e Costa admitted that the covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on commercial relations, however, Portuguese companies continued to be present in the Angolan market.
"Portuguese companies do not come to the Angolan market, Portuguese companies are in the Angolan market, with Angolans, they make real partnerships, empowering Angolan talent, which makes all the difference in this relationship," he stressed.
The covid-19 pandemic has caused at least 3,940,888 deaths worldwide, resulting from more than 181.7 million cases of infection, according to an assessment made by the French agency AFP.
