Luanda — The minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, sent on Monday a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in which he again rejected the information on the alleged sending of Angolan mercenaries to fight in the war opposing Russia to Ukraine.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to which ANGOP has had access, the minister informed that a note has been sent to the Portuguese authorities where he "vehemently rejects such fallacious information".

It adds that such information "constitute a deliberate will to tarnish and discredit the good image of Angola and its highest representative, confusing the national and international public opinion with regard to the country's position of principle on the peaceful resolution of the conflict, which, in the case in question, is clear and well known".

The statement adds that in the note addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Téte António stressed that Angola had already been victim of mercenary activity and invasion by foreign forces, for which it has always condemned such acts with energetic measures, as a way of discouraging them.

The head of the Angolan diplomacy underlined that he considers it useful to take this information to the knowledge of the UN Secretary General to reiterate Angola's position on the matter, as well as "the immutable adherence to the principles of the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries adopted by the UN General Assembly, in New York, on December 4 1989".

The minister stressed that the damage caused to the image of the Republic of Angola, with this "fallacious and inaccurate news are of the entire responsibility of CNN-Portugal".

Early on March 24, the television broadcaster CNN-Portugal screened a report claiming that Angola has sent mercenaries to fight in the war opposing Russia and Ukraine.