Portuguese-speaking Angola plans to intensify relations with Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After East Timor, which also speaks Portuguese, approached Brazil a few weeks ago, African Angola is now also signaling interest in having closer contact with Brazil, the world’s dominant lusophone country.

Lusophones are peoples and nations that comprise an estimated 270 million people spread across 10 sovereign states and territories that recognize Portuguese as an official language. This area, known as Lusofonia or the Lusophone world, is the corresponding community of Lusophone nations which exist in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.

In a press release, the organization confirmed yesterday’s arrival in Luanda of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the South American country, Carlos Alberto Franco França, who will hold a meeting on Wednesday with his Angolan counterpart Téte António.

During his stay in Luanda, the minister will have the opportunity to discuss regional and international issues within the community of Portuguese-speaking countries, focusing on cooperation, mobility agreements, avoidance of double taxation, and investment facilitation, the source said.

According to the host Foreign Ministry, the two sides plan to sign several legal instruments to strengthen and deepen their relations during the ministerial meeting.

Bilateral cooperation currently covers health, culture, public administration, vocational training, education, environment, sports, statistics, and agriculture.

EAST TIMOR

Brazil is seen as a potential partner to help solve the main obstacle to the Timorese economy: the lack of diversification. Most of the country’s finances come from oil, and the desire is to invest in the production of necessities to take advantage of the agricultural potential.

In the 1970s, after all, Brazil was a kind of big brother that had long since achieved independence from Portugal. The Southeast Asian country would separate in 1975 but soon saw Indonesia invade, in an occupation that lasted two decades.