The Agreement on Visa Waiver in Diplomatic, Service and Ordinary Passports was initialed this Monday in Luanda by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, and by the head of São Tomean diplomacy, Edite Tem Jua, who arrived on Sunday in Luanda, carrying a message from the head of state of São Tomé and Príncipe, Evaristo Carvalho, to his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço.
In her speech, Téte António considered that this Monday the two countries wrote another "golden page in the history of existing ties," including those of inbreeding that unite the two peoples.
The head of diplomacy stressed that the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries are based on political, historical, cultural and geographical factors, formalized in 1978 through the General Agreement of Friendship and Cooperation and the Bilateral Joint Commission, created in 1980.
According to Téte António, these legal instruments have allowed for the conclusion of at least 26 sectoral agreements, whose effective implementation, however, falls short of initial expectations.
"Thus, I am convinced that this visit of yours will be able to contribute to the revitalization of cooperation between Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe and will introduce a new dynamic to the development of areas of mutual interest, already identified in the Verbal Process, signed in São Tomé in May 2019, which testifies to the will of our two countries to strengthen the general lines of bilateral cooperation, which correspond to the new cooperation strategy," he said.
In statements to the press, the head of diplomacy pointed out the areas of tourism, transport and the sea, including the exploitation of hydrocarbons that the two countries do offshore.
"I think we have a lot of potential between our two peoples, just have that will, the rest will come", he said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities of São Tomé and Príncipe will be received in audience this Tuesday by the President, João Lourenço, foreseeing the program also working and courtesy meetings with different entities of the political, economic and social sector of Angola.
Edite Ten Jua, for her part, considered the agreement "historic", which she considered to materialize what is already a reality among the sister peoples of São Tomé and Angola.
"We all have a friend, a relative, both in Angola and in São Tomé, this agreement comes to enhance family relations, mobility at the business level and promote regional tourism," said Edite Ten Jua, in statements to the press.
According to the minister, the agreement has several aspects, but above all the possibility of moving communities between the two countries, which is "undoubtedly an added value".
The San Tomean government stressed that the two countries have extensive cooperation, underlining that "Angola has always been, is and will be a preferential partner of Sao Tome and Principe.
"What it requires from us today is a more modernized vision, more sharpening of the various sectors of cooperation and there are several. Of course some will be more privileged than others, but we have a general framework of cooperation from which several other agreements arise," said Edite Ten Jua, admitting that some could be more advanced, but were affected by the covid-19 pandemic.
Edite Ten Jua stressed that Sao Tome is a preferential destination for Angolans, assuring that this agreement will "surely" allow Angolans to go to the archipelago more often and "spend much more time" in that country.
