5 January 2009
Luanda — The rise and development of South-South cooperation was one of the main points of the Angolan diplomatic strategy in the past year, marked by the signing of various agreements and commitments, either bilaterally or multilaterally.
The south-south concept (an initiative by which the countries of the Southern Hemisphere establish direct partnerships for development, trade and investment) gained strength in late 70's of last century, being the basic formula in inter-state relations in today's affairs.
Resulting from similarities and historical-cultural, social and even economic convergences, in some cases, this geo-political approach has allowed solutions to difficulties, often with similarities in various countries.
In Africa, among other actions, the analysis focuses on the cooperation with countries such as Zambia, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Prince, just to mention a few, marked with visits by their respective heads of state to Angola.
In the multilateral field, Angola has been engaged in major forums of organisations such as the African Union (AU), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone and countries of the Gulf of Guinea.
The national diplomacy has set clear its position in the AU, contributing to the strengthening of the organisation, particularly on the issue of the Union's Government, which dominates its agenda, in the search for self-sufficiency of the continent and inclusion of their populations as well as the demand for settlement of conflicts, particularly in the Great Lakes region.
Throughout the continent, especially within the framework of the AU and SADC, Angola has tested its experience in seeking solutions to the various conflicts.
With the rest of the world, Angola has continued to prioritise the consolidation of relations with China, which has permitted the implementation of the reconstruction of the country, destroyed by more than four decades of continuous war.
This relationship has been strengthened with the recent visit of President José Eduardo dos Santos to the Asian "giant", which led to the signing of a framework agreement of cooperation, among others.
The level of relations and the volume of trade between the two countries indicate that Angola is currently the largest Chinese trade partner in Africa.
2008 saw further consolidation of cooperation with Brazil, particularly in the complementariness of their economies, with the South American country participating in important achievements in the field of reconstruction, in terms of infrastructures, agriculture and services.
In the South America sub-region, new horizons opened with Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay, as a result of a tour of the then Foreign minister, Joao Bernardo de Miranda.
Indeed, protocols of cooperation, agreements and memoranda of understanding gave shape to contacts between delegations, with a view to the combination of interests.
As to the South Atlantic Peace and Security and Cooperation Zone and the Gulf of Guinea, high level summits were held in Luanda, in which member states had a unique opportunity to address the avenues leading to development and consolidation of such regional organs.
The success of this policy of strengthening South-South cooperation has resulted in a relationship of parity to the mutual interest, particularly in such spheres as trade, transfer of technology, convergence of policies, economic and cultural, information exchange and consultation on international issues of today.
Another gain to the country was the rapid and steep growth of the national economy, seen as the world's fastest rising.
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