Angola and RDCongo want to accelerate joint oil exploration project

"The oil exploration zone of common interest of the two countries is a project that dates back a few years, unfortunately, not with the dynamism that was expected, but we have been doing everything to bring greater dynamism and so that we can effectively move to the implementation of projects," Diamantino de Azevedo said in statements broadcast by public radio.

According to the minister, one of the actions is to look at the schedule of actions, update it and continue the work.

The official stressed that, in addition to the analysis of the dossier of the Zone of Common Interest (ZIC) in the area of ​​hydrocarbons, a work is being carried out, carried out by teams comprising representatives of the oil company Sonangol and the national fuel company of RDCongo, on the commercialization oil products between the two countries.

Another concern addressed by the meeting, which ends on Friday, has to do with the smuggling of fuel from Angola to the neighboring country, in the sense of creating a joint strategy, through inspection actions by the two States.

In turn, the minister of Hydrocarbons of the RDCongo, Didier Ntubuanga, considered the cooperation between the two countries very important.

"Angola and RDCongo are two sister countries and the experience that Angola has in the area of ​​hydrocarbons, if we go together we can go far, for us this meeting is very important and we hope for good results", he stressed.

Last year, the two countries created a joint technical committee for the common oil exploration zone, a decision taken at the end of a meeting held between the parties in Luanda.

The understanding on common oil exploration in the waters of the lower Congo basin was signed in June 2003, between the Governments of Angola and DRCongo, which served to create a common maritime oil exploration corridor, defined by the ZIC.

Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo share a vast land, sea and river border and in recent years fuel smuggling has increased in the common area, constantly denounced by the authorities.