Addis Ababa - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal João Gomes Cravinho recognised Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the commitment of Angola and its President João Lourenço to the peaceful resolution of the conflict that opposes the DRC and Rwanda.
The Portuguese top diplomat was speaking to the Angolan press in Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council Meeting, dedicated to the situation in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
João Gomes Cravinho said Angola has great diplomatic weight in the region and in Africa in general, and it is positive that the country is using that weight to seek to bring peace "to a region that unfortunately has not known peace for a long time".
The minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal said that he sees Angola as a country that exerts, nowadays, an extremely positive influence for peace and stability in the region.
He also highlighted the role of Angola and President João Lourenço in the pacification of the Central African Republic (CAR), where Portugal has deployed a peacekeeping contingent.
He recognised that Angola has a very close dialogue with President Faustin Toadera and other countries that play a fundamental role in that region.
"Let's say that the whole logic of our military presence also has to do with the capacity to understand the situation politically, through our dialogue with Angola", he stressed.
Partnership with the African Union
João Gomes Cravinho clarified that Portugal is a partner of the African Union that can help to bridge the gap between Europe and Africa.
"When the European Union talks about Africa, eyes turn to Portugal to know what it has to say. Therefore, for us, it is extremely important to have direct and close contact with African interlocutors in order to be up to date on major issues of the continent", he stressed.
He noted that, even at a time when the world is struggling with a "situation of violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, by Russia, our bet on permanence, on the continuity of the dialogue with Africa" is evident.
Regarding the process of creating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Portuguese diplomat considered this expanded free trade space as an important contribution to the stability of peace and prosperity on the continent.
"We believe that it can also serve to strengthen the bi-regional links with the European continent", he expressed.
Granting of visas
The Portuguese Minister for Foreign Affairs said he was aware of the issue of granting visas for Angolan citizens to Portugal, noting that they are working to improve these services more and more.
"We have been increasing the granting of visas, what is happening is that demand is also increasing and frustration is increasing, not because we are issuing fewer visas, we are issuing more, but all because the demand is greater", clarified.
He informed that they are reinforcing the teams in Luanda for the processing of visas, maintaining that, currently, they have a very low rejection rate, "the overwhelming majority obtain the visa, some do not because they do not have the necessary documentation".
He made it known that the Mobility Agreement within the scope of the CPLP, which is in the process of being implemented, will facilitate the process of granting visas to nationals, that is, for Portugal, sheguem visas for the whole of Europe continue to have the same criteria. DC/AL/ADR
