"Our relations are good, very good indeed, but friendship must continue to be constantly nurtured. It's like a beautiful flower, which simply because it's beautiful, we can't stop watering, otherwise it will cease to be beautiful," said João Lourenço in Lisbon, during a joint statement with the Portuguese Prime Minister.
The President of the Republic, who is on the first of a two-day official visit to Portugal, was speaking at the end of a meeting with business leaders, followed by the signing of bilateral agreements, which took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Lisbon.
Praising the good relations between the two countries, he announced that, on the occasion of Angola's 50th anniversary of independence, which falls on November 11th, "Portuguese entities who, in some way, contributed to Angola's independence, its maintenance, or its economic and social development" will be honored.
The recognition is part of a program of honors for figures who distinguished themselves, both in the fight for independence and in maintaining that independence. The majority of them will be Angolan, but also foreign, including Portuguese.
For João Lourenço, it makes perfect sense for Angola and Portugal to celebrate this anniversary together, and he recalled the role not only of politicians but also of Portuguese businesspeople who contributed to the success of Angola's 50th anniversary of independence.
"They believed in our country, in our economy. Their investment in Angola today is even greater, for several reasons, but above all, because we work to improve the economic environment in Angola," he said, acknowledging that it cannot be said that corruption does not exist, but rather that, when it is known, it does not go unpunished.
"The environment cannot be considered perfect, but we are moving towards it. It is an effort that must be made by Angolans, but also by foreign investors who can help us improve this business environment," he said.
João Lourenço welcomed the Portuguese government's announcement of adding an additional 750 million euros to the credit line made available to Portuguese companies to invest in Angola.
This line now amounts to 3.25 billion euros, through which João Lourenço hopes to receive assistance in several areas, inviting the private sector to occupy the space once usurped by the public sector.
"There is no market economy if we don't give the private sector the place it deserves in a market economy," he said.
Lourenço expressed gratitude for the environment he found in Portugal and refused to address "controversial issues, which are sometimes fabricated."
"We will focus on aspects that can strengthen our relationship and not issues that are often magnified," he emphasized in this statement to the press, without the right to questions.
In an interview with TVI/CNN broadcast last Tuesday, João Lourenço acknowledged there is "some discomfort" regarding the new provisions of the law on foreigners, approved by the Portuguese parliament and since sent by the President of the Republic to the Constitutional Court.
"There is indeed some discomfort. Brazil has had the courage to express this same discomfort. We haven't said anything so far, but we are clearly monitoring the situation's developments very closely," João Lourenço said.
After the meeting with the business leaders, 11 cooperation instruments were signed, adding to the 12 others signed about a year ago during the Portuguese Prime Minister's visit to Angola and which are already in force, according to Luís Montenegro.
João Lourenço, who arrived in Lisbon on Thursday afternoon, began the two-day program of this official visit at the Belém Palace, where he was received by the President of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The head of state received military honors and signed the Book of Honor, before meeting with his Portuguese counterpart in the audience room, followed by statements to the press, without the right to questions.
He then proceeded to the official residence of the Portuguese Prime Minister, where he met with Luís Montenegro.
Also on Friday, he visited the Portuguese National Assembly, where he was scheduled to meet with the President of Parliament, José Pedro Aguiar Branco.
President João Lourenço is the guest of honor at an official dinner hosted by his Portuguese counterpart at the Ajuda Palace. Prior to that, he met, in his capacity as acting President of the African Union, with the Group of African Ambassadors accredited in Lisbon.
On Saturday, the second and final day of the visit, João Lourenço and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa participated in the "Dialogue between Presidents" at the NOVA School of Business and Economics in Cascais, as part of the Euro-African Forum 2025.
