"The level of economic cooperation between Angola and Cuba is below what is demanded of us by our peoples and the objective of these official and state visits, either by us to Cuba or by Cuban entities in Angola, is precisely to correct this situation", said João Lourenço, in statements as part of the visit of his Cuban counterpart to Angola.
For João Lourenço, who was speaking alongside Miguel Díaz-Canel, it is necessary to work together in order to place "the level of economic cooperation" between the two countries "at least equal to the level" of "relations of friendship" between the two peoples.
"This is continuous work that we will continue to do", stressed João Lourenço, after the signing of three memorandums of understanding in the fields of tourism, development of free zones and health between Angola and Cuba.
According to João Lourenço, the signed legal instruments meet the intention of the authorities of both countries to raise "the bar with regard to economic cooperation".
The President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, is on his first day of official visit to Angola. At the Presidential Palace, in Luanda, the two heads of state met in private and, later, attended the signing of the memorandums.
João Lourenço signaled the importance of his counterpart's visit, considering the relations between Angola and Cuba as brotherhood between two peoples "who love each other very much and that in a moment of difficulty in which each one may find himself, the other comes to help".
He recalled the military support that Cuba provided to Angola during the colonial transition to independence, in 1975, stressing that the Portuguese-speaking country did not face threats of invasion alone, "but with the disinterested help" of "Cuban brothers".
"Together, side by side, we defeated these two great threats of invasion, thus guaranteeing Angola's independence, the maintenance of our sovereignty and our territorial integrity", he pointed out.
"The victory achieved by Angola in the historic battle of Cuito Cuanavale, with Cuban support, opened doors for our Namibian brothers to also be able to proclaim their independence and for our brothers in South Africa to be able to form the first democratic government of their country , with a black majority", he stressed.
In his speech, the head of state also praised Cuba's friendly and supportive hand, "which was not limited to defending Angolan territory with weapons in hand", but which also extended to the economy and, above all, to the training of pictures.
"Cuba's friendly hand has also extended to medical assistance, the country's reconstruction, science, sport, in short, to all other areas of national life", he stressed.
João Lourenço also publicly confirmed that he accepted Miguel Díaz-Canel's invitation and that he should pay, within a few days, a visit to Havana to participate in the so-called Group 77, the summit that Cuba will chair.
Angola and Cuba are based on the General Cooperation Agreement, signed in February 1976, dealing with the fields of education and health.
Cuba has been Angola's strategic partner since independence, in 1975, and supported the Portuguese-speaking country in defending its territorial integrity against the then South African apartheid regime of racial segregation.
