Luís Montenegro was speaking at the end of a three-day visit to Angola, focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in various areas and on economic and business issues, during which he announced an increase of 500 million euros in the current credit line and expressed the desire for more Angolan investment in Portugal and Portuguese investment in Angola.
The head of the Portuguese government declared that Angola "is a friendly country, a brother country" and is also a partner, both in international and bilateral politics.
Before the visit, Amnesty International called on Luís Montenegro to take the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the Angolan authorities on human rights issues, while UNITA took advantage of the presence of the Portuguese Prime Minister on Angolan soil to ask for help in strengthening the democratic State.
When asked about these appeals, Montenegro stressed that Portugal respects "the values of democracy" and human rights everywhere, "and therefore also here".
He defended "a political philosophy that believes in people, that believes in the free capacity and initiative of people and institutions", an objective that is in line with Angola, while stressing that issues regarding the functioning of the bodies and institutions of each country are a matter for each country.
"Each country has its own political philosophy, each country has its own methods of political intervention, we respect all of this and we have a common set of objectives", he stressed, guaranteeing that the Portuguese Government will always be "on the side of valuing the human person" and the dignity of the person, in any context.
"Therefore, we will do everything we can to promote this humanist dimension, naturally respecting the political dynamics of all countries, and particularly of friendly, allied and partner countries, and this is also the case here in Angola", he concluded.
The Portuguese Prime Minister returned to Lisbon on Thursday evening.
