Braga, Portugal, Nov. 27, 2024 (Lusa) - Angola's ambassador to the United States, Agostinho Van-Dúnem, said on Wednesday in Braga that relations between the two countries should not suffer any setbacks with the Trump administration.
Speaking to Lusa on the sidelines of a conference organised by the School of Economics and Management at the University of Minho, in Portugal, Agostinho Van-Dúnem stressed that it was during the first administration of Donald Trump, who won the elections and will return as President in January, that "important leaps" were made in cooperation between Angola and the US.
"With the new Trump administration, we will continue to work to strengthen our relations for the benefit of both countries. I don't think there will be any regression in this co-operation," he said.
He pointed out that the US "will continue to need some things that are on the African continent and in Angola in particular, "for its own interest in terms of foreign policy".
"And that's where I think we'll continue to co-operate," he added, adding that Angola could be a partner for the United States in the fight against terrorism and human trafficking, in the area of Angola's critical minerals and in expanding trade relations with African countries.
Agostinho Van-Dúnem emphasised that Angola "has not abandoned" its traditional partners, such as China and Russia, but is simply investing in "more diversified cooperation," with a focus on emerging countries such as Brazil and India.
"We don't see that we have abandoned partners to the detriment of other partners, what we are doing is deepening and diversifying our relations. We can't be conditioned to relations with just one country, we have to be very good at balancing," he said.
He emphasised that Angola has important assets such as ‘enormous’ natural resources, a strategic location and a very young population, which means that the country is being looked at with attention by various economic powers.
"Angola, for example, is a bridge between the US and the African continent. China and the US will need, in the future, the critical minerals that Angola and the African continent have," he emphasised, just days before outgoing President Joe Biden's visit to Luanda.
Still on the subject of relations between Angola and the European Union, Agostinho Van-Dúnem said that "they are good and evolving".
"I would highlight co-operation in sectors that, for example, are not oil sectors, namely co-operation and technical assistance in the field of good governance, transparency, management of public resources and human rights, because this co-operation helps to strengthen our institutions," he said.
That's why he predicted "very good relations" with the European Union.
"We have common interests, the issue of security, the issue of terrorism and Angola can position itself as a strategic partner of the European Union and that's what I think will happen," he concluded.
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