Luanda — A message from the President of Sudan, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan Abdel Rahman, to his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, was delivered Sunday night to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António.
The bearer of the message was the head of Sudanese diplomacy, Ali Yousef Ahmed Al-Sharif, according to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Al-Sharif came to Luanda to participate in the 18th ordinary session of the Interministerial Committee of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), held on the same day.
Bilateral relations between Angola and Sudan have been marked by 'historic solidarity' and mutual interest in strengthening bilateral cooperation in various areas, including political, economic and cultural, the statement said.
The document adds that the two states have a broad and close partnership, primarily in the areas of diplomacy and politics, economy and trade, energy and natural resources, education and culture as well as defense and security, among others.
Angola and Sudan maintain 'excellent relations of friendship and cooperation' and both are part of the ICGLR, an organisation created in 1994 with the aim of resolving peace and security issues in the area.
The two nations also share ties in the African context and position themselves as relevant actors in promoting peace and stability on the continent, the note concludes.
ICGLR Session
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The Angolan capital, Luanda, hosted this Sunday, November 24, the 18th ordinary session of the Interministerial Committee of the ICGLR, to discuss and analyze the main aspects of the current political, security and regional cooperation situation.
The event was held in one of the hotels in Luanda under the motto 'Peace, Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region'.
Among other speeches, the meeting included interventions by the executive secretary of the ICGLR, João Caholo; the African Union (AU) High Representative for the Great Lakes Region, Sghir Said; and the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Region, Huang Xia.
Speaking in his capacity as president of the Interministerial Committee of the ICGLR, Minister Téte António said that Angola has been following with great concern the financial crisis that the organization's Secretariat is going through and that endangers its sustainability and existence.
In this sense, he called for the engagement of the Member States in the fulfillment of their financial contributions, to remedy the crisis in which it finds itself, and to allow the Secretariat to carry out its mandate, with the provision of efficient services to the Member States and the implementation of regional policies. IZ/DOJ
