Antananarivo — President João Lourenço and his Madagascar counterpart, Andry Rajoelina, held a formal meeting at the Presidential Palace, in Antananarivo, with a view to strengthening bilateral relations.

The conversation took place after the luncheon offered by Andry Rajoelina to those invited to his investiture ceremony, which took place hours earlier at the Barea Stadium.

When taking stock of the Angolan statesman's visit, the minister of Foreign Affairs, Tete Antonio, recalled that João Lourenço also came to Madagascar as President of SADC.

He explained that opportunities are also important to evaluate and take stock of bilateral relations.

In this sense, he added, the Angolan President had a bilateral meeting with his Malagasy counterpart where they reviewed relations between the two republics.

He said the relationship is excellent from a political point of view, but the two heads of state think it is possible to add more substance to it.

The intention is to identify areas of cooperation with a view to bringing together the various sectors, not just public ones.

Tete Antonio said that the guidance received from the two Presidents is for diplomatic channels to work towards having delegations not only from the public sector, but also from the private sector.

The Angolan President, João Lourenço, was one of six African heads of state present at the inauguration ceremony of the Malagasy President, Andry Rajoelina, held this Saturday, at the Kianja Barea Mahamasina stadium, in Antananarivo. PA/TED/jmc