Luanda — The secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Mendonça, said Tuesday that Angola has renewed its commitment to protect and sustain the oceans, through the support and participation of civil society as well as national and international partners.

The position of Angola was reaffirmed by the secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, at the opening of the conference dubbed "Flagship Blue Talk Luanda: A bluer future" an event aimed to promote the sea economy and make fisheries sustainable, promote access of artisanal fishermen to markets and marine resources.

The official added that the global challenges aim at the search for knowledge and solutions to current climate problems and their side effects on marine health, the need to evaluate the impacts of these phenomena on the sustainable development of countries, especially regarding the sea.

The United Nations resident coordinator in Angola, Zahira Virani, on her turn, said "Sustainable Development Goal number 14 of the 2030 Agenda" has a significant impact on people's lives, economy and tourism of a country and food chain of land animals, particularly marine species.

Maritime security is a regional problem that compromises economic development and threatens the maritime commerce of the coastal states, where the Gulf of Guinea has become the most dangerous maritime zone in the world, with great repercussions on trade and connectivity between the coastal countries that use this route to flow products.

The conference "Flagship Blue Talk Luanda" is a joint initiative of the embassies of Portugal and Kenya in Angola, in partnership with the Angolan Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the United Nations.