Luanda: President Joo Louren§o has returned to the country after an official visit to Gabon to strengthen bilateral cooperation. The high point of the Angolan leader’s visit to Gabon on Monday morning was a meeting with his Gabonese counterpart, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. After a meeting between the government delegations of the two countries, a cultural agreement was signed.
According to Angola Press News Agency, President Joo Louren§o praised the free and transparent manner in which the presidential elections were held in Gabon and promised Angola’s support for the economic and social development of that country. “We hope that the country’s authorities will dedicate themselves above all to economic and social development. You can count on our support, as a brother country, within the framework of bilateral relations and within the African Union,” he stressed.
Joo Louren§o stated that the reactivation of the Angola-Gabon Bilateral Commission dominated the meeting with Brice Oligui Nguema and that the meeting concluded with the need for this mechanism to meet in Luanda as soon as possible. The Angolan statesman confirmed Angola’s interest in closer cooperation with Gabon in a wide range of areas and invited President Nguema to visit the country.
President Joo Louren§o and the new Gabonese leader met for the first time in Rome on April 26 at the funeral of Pope Francis. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was confirmed in office on April 25 after winning the April presidential election with 94.85% of the vote, according to a ruling by Gabon’s Constitutional Court.
The formal basis of the partnership between the two countries is the General Cooperation Agreement, supplemented by the creation of the Bilateral Joint Commission in January 1982. These instruments aim to promote cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, oil and mining, maritime transport, industry, trade, education, culture, health, and youth and sports.
In addition, during a visit by President Joo Louren§o to Libreville in December 2022, specific agreements were signed on the abolition of visas for diplomatic and service passports and on regular political consultations. Angola and Gabon are active members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), an organization that seeks to promote economic integration and political stability in the region. Both countries participate in the Gulf of Guinea Commission, which aims to strengthen cooperation and maritime security between the coastal countries of Central and West Africa.