According to diplomat Rafael Vidal, the Economic Forum taking place on Friday, as part of the official visit of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Angola, will be attended by 500 businessmen, of which 170 come from Brazil.
This is the largest presence of Brazilian businessmen on Lula da Silva's visits abroad, "which is also a reflection not only of the affection that Brazil has for Angola, but also of the security that Brazil has in its relationship with Angola in different domains" , said the diplomat, who was received by the president of the Angolan National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, to whom he conveyed the "enthusiasm" of the Brazilian President during his trip to the country, between Thursday and Saturday.
Likewise, the Brazilian President's entourage includes six ministers, "the densest of an official entourage in Brazil", said Rafael Vidal, highlighting the holders of the Health, Human Rights, Racial Equality and Foreign Affairs portfolio.
Rafael Vidal, who was speaking to the press at the end of the meeting with the president of parliament, said that he discussed with Carolina Cerqueira the topics that should be addressed during the President's visit, namely bilateral agreements.
According to the Brazilian ambassador in Angola, the agreements to be signed deal with the sectors of agriculture, health, education, small and medium-sized companies, data processing in public administration, transport.
"There are some more important axes in the visit, which will be dealt with, one of them is the Development Program of the Cunene Valley, a program that is running and that will have its action plan launched by the Presidents of the Republic [Lula da Silva and João Lourenço] at the Economic Forum", said the ambassador.
Themes in the area of defence, "strengthening defense capabilities for peace in Angola", will be on the agenda of the two heads of state, Rafael Vidal stressed, highlighting the strengthening of the Angolan Navy in the context of the blue economy, in Angola's challenge to protect its seas in times of peace.
"Brazil is willing and willing to cooperate in the construction of shipyards, in the export of vessels, also in the area of training troops for the United Nations, Brazil is working on a cooperation that involves training Angolan troops, in the Sérgio Vieira de Mello, in Brazil, for the first rapid deployment forces in Angola at the service of the United Nations, the first from an African country at the disposal of the United Nations", he said.
During the visit, one of the topics to be addressed has to do with strengthening consular capacities, said the diplomat, recalling that the largest Brazilian community in Africa is in Angola, with 27,000 people, "by far the largest Brazilian community in Africa ".
"Today we also have an important dimension which is the fact that the demand for visas from Angolans to Brazil has grown 760 percent in three years, this also obviously involves delays in the processing of visas, we have sought to adopt all possible measures to speed up this service, with more personnel, with more resources, we have sought to strengthen the consular capabilities of both countries, this is an important topic and is on the agenda for high-level discussions", he stressed.
"A reflection of the broader agenda of agreements signed in this third term of President Lula, [is] the visit of the parliamentarians who accompany the President", he also highlighted, adding that 11 parliamentarians from different parties are accompanying the visit.
The Brazilian diplomat pointed out that the Brazilian deputies will make an agenda linked to the National Assembly, and will be received by the Foreign Affairs Commission of the parliament and by the president.
