Belgium praises absence of Angolans among exile seekers

 Luanda - The absence of Angolans in the list of more than 26,000 applicants for exile to Belgium this year was praised Friday by that country's ambassador to Angola, Jozef Smets.

The diplomat was speaking to the press at the end of an audience granted to him by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira. 

"There is a very large immigration in Belgium and, from January to September, more than 26,000 requests were registered, and the Angolans do not join this list, in general, in an irregular situation. The majority of exile seekers come from the countries with instability and violence," he said. 

He praised the creation of a third group in the National Assembly,  emerged from the three parties less voted in the general elections on 24 August, adding that it was thanks to the openness and dialogue process to preserve the national interest. 

On the other hand, Jozef Smets said that the possibility of exchanging experiences between the Parliamentary bodies of the two countries had also been addressed. 

He also underlined the cooperation with Angola in mine clearance, which has allowed farmers to return to their areas of origin. 

Although he did not specify the volume of trade between the two countries, he stressed the cooperation in the diamond sector. 

The Belgian ambassador also reiterated the importance of cooperation on creation of  centres for diamond cutting process in Angola.