Luanda - The Vice-President of Angola Esperança da Costa, Wednesday in Luanda, called for the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU) to intensify the debate on development, with emphasis on economic partnership agreements.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 1st Joint Parliamentary Plenary Session of the OACPS-EU, the politician said the Economic Partnership Agreements are a lever for technological development, transforming food systems, increasing trade and promoting the blue economy and sustainable development.
Esperança da Costa said she hopes that the Joint Parliamentary Session, which she considered historic, discusses the challenges of ratification of the New OACPS-EU Partnership by all the member states "as a collective determination to contribute to a world of greater climate of justice, more equity, more development, more sustainable generations with peace and progress".
The politician added that Angola's willingness to host the first Session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly and 147th Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) "is a great demonstration of the respect and importance that we give to national parliaments and the partnerships that are established between them".
The Samoa Agreement signed in November 2023, establishes the global legal framework for the next twenty years for the European Union's relations with the 79 countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, covering around 1.5 billion people.
Strengthening multilateral diplomacy
The Vice-President of Angola pointed out that the current international context requires governments to strengthen multilateral diplomacy, deepen the basic principles of democratic states governed by the rule of law, as well as respecting the fundamental principles laid down in the United Nations Charter.
The politician said that from the Lomé Convention of 1975, through the Cotonou Agreement of 2000 to the Samoa Agreement of 2023, the organization has sought to develop comprehensive economic cooperation, which can only find fertile ground in countries with political stability, security and a strong culture of peace.
Esperança da Costa said peace represents a real vector for economic and social development and for the progress of countries, underlining that Angola has achieved peace, national reconciliation and political stability and continues to strive to preserve peace.
The politician highlighted the fact that on May 28, 2022, President João Lourenço was designated by the African Union as "Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa", for his contribution to the prevention, management and peaceful resolution of prevailing conflicts, particularly in the Great Lakes Region.
Economic growth
Esperança da Costa said that despite the adverse international and national conditions, Angola is determined to continue its path towards economic growth and development, by adopting measures to stimulate national production, greater access to credit for the business sector, simplifying and improving the business environment, economic transformation and modernization.
According to the politician the fight against poverty, basic social protection and the inclusion of social groups in situations of vulnerability have been the focus of the Angolan governing in compliance with AU Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and Targets, within the framework of the commitment to "leave no-one behind". DC/ADR/AMP
