Malabo — The Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of Africa-South America (ASA), in which Angola is represented by its Foreign minister, Georges Chikoti, starts today in Malabo, under the theme "Strategies and Mechanisms for Strengthening of South-South Cooperation.

Georges Chikoti is in Malabo on behalf of the President of the Republic of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos.

The summit will be opened by Equatorial Guinea president, Theodoro Obiang Nguema, and focuses on the creation of a new regional dynamism and strengthen relations between the countries of both regions on the basis of solidarity, shared prosperity and promotion of human potential and resources.

The forum aims to facilitate contacts between the private sectors of Africa and South America, as well as explore opportunities for trade and investment.

At the summit, which ends Saturday, heads of State and government will approve the Declaration of Malabo, which should identify areas of cooperation in the field of Peace and Security, Political Affairs, Democracy, Good Governance, Human Rights, Multilateral Cooperation Forum , Investment, Trade, Industry and Tourism, as well as Science, Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The Heads of State and Government should address also about institutional issues, such as funding mechanisms for projects of ASA, the Strategic Presidential Committee and the establishment of the secretariat.

Prior to the III Summit of Heads of State and Government, which falls in multilateral cooperation between the African Union and other regions or countries, was held from 20 to 21 this month, in Malabo, the Conference of Ministers of the Africa and South America Cooperation Forum (ASACOF) to address issues about the infrastructure and logistics: Promoting transport between Africa and South America; Cooperation in the field of energy: Development of Oil and Gas Supply Chain and South- South Agriculture and Cooperation.

The first ASA Summit was held in Abuja, Nigeria, November 30, 2006, while the second, on Isla Margarita, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, September 27, 2009.

The South-South Cooperation is a term used to describe the exchange of resource, technology and knowledge between developing countries, mostly located in the Southern Hemisphere.

In 1978, the United Nations, aware of the importance of this axis, created the Unit for South-South trade promotion among them and collaboration of its agencies.

The essence of this cooperation is to institutionalize a new world order and fight Western social, economic and political domination.