Speaking to journalists moments after landed at Luanda's Luanda International Airport, where he begins a two-day official visit to Angola, Costa stressed the "much" that can be done in bilateral economic relations in an area where the level is already "very intense".
Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa said today, moments after arriving in Luanda, that Portugal and Angola have a "long" history and that the focus must be centered on the future and not the past. Speaking to journalists moments after landed at Luanda's Luanda International Airport, where he begins a two-day official visit to Angola, Costa stressed the "much" that can be done in bilateral economic relations in an area where the level is already "very intense".
"There is much that we can and must do together in the very intense economic relations between our countries. Angola has the great mission to diversify its economic base, to replace many of its imports with production, "he said.
"And this is also an opportunity for many Portuguese companies to explore. We are creating a set of instruments so that the economic agents of the two countries can invest here and there. The agreement to avoid double taxation is a case, the remuneration and extension of the credit line is another case, but there are several objectives in this trip, "added the head of the Portuguese Government.
Asked if the visit to Angola, which lasts until the end of Tuesday, may be a turning point in relations between the two countries, António Costa said that the focus is on the future. "It is the continuation of a long history, but, as I have said, I think it is increasingly important to have the notion that it binds us more to the future than the past. It is to focus on the future and it is in the future that we have to be, "he said.
During the visit to Angola, António Costa, who was received at Angolan airport by Angolan Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto, aims to quickly resume pre-2014 levels in economic relations and normalize bilateral political diplomatic contacts. Foreign Ministers Augusto Santos Silva and Agriculture, Capoulas Santos, as well as the Secretaries of State Teresa Ribeiro (Foreign Affairs and Cooperation), Eurico Brilhante Dias (Internationalization) and Ricardo Mourinho Félix (Deputy of Finance). Also attending the Portuguese prime minister, the presidents of boards of directors of the Lusa agency, Nicolau Santos, and RTP, Gonçalo Reis.
Today, the first day of the visit, coinciding with a holiday (National Hero's Day), António Costa's program will mainly have an economic component, with a closed meeting with Portuguese businessmen operating in the Angolan market. businessmen, the prime minister will also have visits with historical significance, such as the trip to the Luanda Fortress, where is the recently recovered National Museum of Military History. In the afternoon, the prime minister has also planned a tour of the Bay of Luanda and ends the day with a meeting with the Portuguese community living in the Angolan capital, a meeting that will take place at the Portuguese Cultural Center and will take place after visiting the work of the Camama maternal and child hospital, which is in charge of the Portuguese company Casais, in a project valued at $ 194 million (about 166 million euros).
On Tuesday, after the meeting, scheduled for 11:00 a.m. (same time in Portugal), between Angolan President João Lourenço and the Portuguese prime minister, the two governments are expected to sign about a dozen agreements , including an agreement for the end of double taxation and a memorandum for the progressive regularization of debts of Angolan public entities to Portuguese companies, whose total amount is estimated between 400 and 500 million euros.
The governments of Lisbon and Luanda will also expand credit lines, establish a cooperation plan in the agriculture sector and sign a 2018/2022 Strategic Cooperation Program.
