Government will "give a new boost" to relations with Angola

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro claimed he intends to "create a new boost, a major boost" in the relations between Portugal and Angola "and particularly in economic relations" during the joint press statement with the President of the Angolan Republic João Lourenço at the end of the working meetings and the signing of the agreements on the first day of his official visit to the "sibling country".

Luís Montenegro noted the meaning of his visit to Angola happening "after only three months in office". João Lourenço stated that this "reflects the importance given by Portugal to the ties of friendship and cooperation" with Angola.

The Prime Minister stressed that Portugal is Angola’s partner "at all times", as is the case in the opposite direction and thanked the support given during the financial adjustment period from 2011 to 2015. He stated that "the way in which the Angolan Government, the Angolan companies, the Angolan institutions were standing by Portugal at the time of the greatest financial hardship, when our economy was highly limited" was not forgotten.

Spirit of solidarity

"This is the same spirit of solidarity with which the Portuguese seek to help Angola’s growth, fostering its economic activity and transforming this activity into more jobs, better jobs, and the creation of conditions for more well-being" for the Angolan people, he said.

An example of this is the "more than 1,250 [Portuguese] companies that are operating on Angolan soil at the moment, producing for the domestic market and many of them, fortunately, (…) for Angolan’s neighbouring markets, which today are a destination for (…) Angolan exports".

The President of Angola remarked that the two countries "have always been together through the good times and the bad" "and this is how our relations will continue to unfold." 

Financing

Luís Montenegro announced a 500-thousand-euro increase in 2-billion-euro credit line to Angola. Although the line hasn’t been used up yet, its increase "is a sign of confidence in Angola’s future".

"It will help Portuguese companies and the Angolan Government to invest in infrastructure, as well as other areas that may benefit the Angolan economy’s diversification and creating the conditions for the country’s development", he said.

12 agreements

At the end of the meeting between Luís Montenegro and João Lourenço and between the two Government’s delegations, Portugal and Angola signed 12 agreements that "express that this relationship is alive and here at all times".  

Instruments were signed on public-private partnerships, managing public debt and State treasury, public administration (finance), technical-law enforcement cooperation and civil protection (home affairs), and between the Angolan and Portuguese fisheries training centres to support the creation of a network of hotel and tourism schools, as well as between the Portuguese Tourism Board and the Angolan Tourism Development Institute concerning the Revive programme (economy).

Instruments were also signed on regulatory bodies for medicines between the national health institutes (health), plus a partnership agreement between the Camões Cooperation and Language Institute and the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a PhD on primary schooling methods.

A financing agreement for the Chicomba dam in the Huíla Province in the south was also signed, as well as a cooperation agreement in the field of labour for 2024-2027.

Under this agreement, "our Employment and Vocational Training Institute will start operating in Angola with the aim of fostering vocational training for Angolan workers, whether for activities in the country or for those who wish to work in Portugal", where it will be easier for them to "come in, swifter, and will be more effectively integrated" in the Portuguese labour market, he said.

Immigration

The Prime Minister stated that the amendments to the immigration law in Portugal "maintain the conditions for fluid mobility between Portuguese citizens who come to Angola and Angolan citizens who come to Portugal" intact, adding that "they have not changed the gateway we set up for the Portuguese-speaking community countries".

"The Portuguese-speaking countries and their citizens have a preferential gateway in terms of our migration policy. It is a preferential gateway for cultural, historical reasons, the sharing of values that is of great value and we take it on", he noted.

In the case of Angola, the services will be improved "streamlining procedures and adding human resources in the consulates, offering a more transparent service and fighting the hoarding of places, which is one of the things that has kept Angolan citizens from obtaining appointments and visas".

International

Luís Montenegro claimed, "our cooperation within the CPLP, foremost, and within the United Nations, secondly, has coincided", corroborating the concerns shared by João Lourenço to find a peaceful solution for the Near East "that ensures the co-existence of two States" and the urgent humanitarian assistance "for so many helpless civilians" and ending "the unjustified action by Russia" against Ukraine.

This year, Portugal and Angola take part in the G20 meetings as observers, invited by Brazil. The meeting brings together the world’s 20 largest economies and the Prime Minister indicated this participation "expresses the way in which our two countries view the enhancement of human rights and peace".