Luanda — The National Assembly Wednesday promised to provide all the conditions to create the Angola and Zambia Parliamentary Friendship Group this year, within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy.
The information was disclosed by the Angolan Parliament Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, while addressing the Plenary Meeting on the occasion of the State visit the President of the Republic of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, is paying to Angola.
Carolina Cerqueira said the National Assembly (Angolan parliament) is available to work to define a new strategy to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation with the Zambian Parliament within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy.
The Angolan politician expressed the desire of the Angolan MPs to strengthen cooperation relations between both countries' parliaments for exchange of experiences and good practices, in the quest for the best solutions to solve the real problems of the two peoples and countries.
As a result of the engagement of the Angolan National Assembly in parliamentary cooperation, Carolina Cerqueira announced the holding in the Angolan capital of the 147th Assembly of the World Inter-Parliamentary Union this year.
The Angolan politician invited Zambian parliamentarians to participate in this great event, "to share together the main concerns of the continent, in a world context, and face the great challenges of the present and the future".
She went on to stress that the National Assembly continues to work with "brother countries" to overcome "the main barriers that have hindered the achievement of a broad and effective regional union".
"Therefore, we dedicate particular attention to the reinforcement of the cooperation in the Inter-parliamentary scope in particular with the purposes to create the SADC Parliament", Ms Cerqueira said.
She also praised the work of all parliaments in the Southern Africa region in strengthening democracy, peace, and institutional stability at the regional and global levels, aware that there is still "much work ahead".
The Angolan Parliament Speaker spoke of the challenges linked to the integration and social stability for the population affected by social problems, gender parity, access to decision-making bodies and empowerment of women, access of young people to education and employment, among others.
The politician also expressed the need to work on the realisation of the community dream of free movement of people and goods, characterising this assumption as one of the most relevant for the development, consolidation and affirmation of the region in the context of nations.
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In her view, the free movement of people and goods naturally promotes trade that is structural to African economies, that in the case of Angola and Zambia this can be facilitated through access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Benguela Railway and the strategic Lobito Corridor.
Zambian statesman's policy measures praised
The Angolan Parliament Speaker praised the political measures being implemented in Zambia by its President, for whom "the respective gains in society have not fuelled only the hope of the Zambian people but also of the people of the entire region".
Carolina Cerqueira hailed the historic initiative of the Zambian statesman, for having abolished the death penalty in that country, "a decision that has aroused enthusiastic reactions at national, regional and world levels, since it constitutes recognition of the importance of defending and promoting human rights".
