Bahrain: King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa reiterates commitment to democracy

 Manama - The King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa on Tuesday reiterated his commitment to democracy, tolerance and diversity.

In a short welcoming message for the representatives of parliaments attending the 146th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), being held from March 11 to 15, the king said he considers the above mentioned aspects as elements that allow the Kingdom of Bahrain to present itself to the world as a modern country with solidarity with the noble causes of humanity.

 

Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa congratulated Angola for being chosen to host the next IPU Assembly and wished the best for the success of the event, which will be the largest parliamentary forum in the world.

 

At the ceremony held at the royal palace, Angola was represented by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira and the Second Vice Speaker, Arleth Chimbinda.

 

During the ceremony, the King received and greeted all the heads of the invited delegations.

 

During four days of work, the Angolan delegation carried out an intense day of parliamentary diplomacy, meeting with foreign counterparts with whom it discussed issues related to cooperation between Angola and the respective countries, as well as among parliaments.

 

Carolina Cerqueira took advantage of the meetings with several parliamentarians and others to promote the country's image, highlight the government’s achievements towards the social well-being of Angolans and the political transformations that have resulted in a younger parliament, balanced in terms of gender and where peaceful and partisan coexistence is a reality.

 

Carolina Cerqueira also emphasized the need to create parliamentary friendship groups with some countries to promote exchanges of experience in a more active way.

 

Angola received members of all the delegations present, with a daily flow of more than 300 delegates eager to learn about the country, the next spot for the IUP meeting, in October this year.

 

During the 146th General Assembly of the IPU, Angola gathered experiences of the coordination of the meeting in Bahrain, during a meeting between the National Assembly Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, and the President of the Organizing Committee, Jamal Fakhro.

 

The Angolan delegation took the opportunity to gather detailed information about the organisation of the event, learning from Bahrain's experience for the success of the event Luanda intends to hold.

 

During the IPU general assembly, parliamentarians discussed the organisation's strategies on climate change, accountability at all levels, as well as the transformation of speeches into actions to fight climate change.

 

The agenda encompassed the strengthening of climate legislation to reduce carbon emissions and support for a clean energy transition.

 

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is made up of 178 national parliaments and 12 regional assemblies. It is currently the main parliamentary interlocutor for the United Nations.

João Lourenço wants to increase cooperation with Japan

 Kyoto - The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, Wednesday advocated the increase of cooperation with Japan in the economic, cultural and tourism fields, within the framework of reciprocal advantages.

In a statement after a meeting with the governor of Kyoto, Takatoshi Nishiwaki, the Angolan president noted the modernism and economic development of Japan, a country considered to be the world's third biggest economy.

 

In the brief speech in Kyoto, a millenary city and of strong cultural traces, the Head of State stressed that the strength of a people resides in its history and culture, having added that “the Japanese are a strong people because, throughout the centuries, they have been able to keep their traditions alive”.

  

In Kyoto, where the Angolan President ended his four-day official visit to the Land of the Rising Sun, besides visiting the Imperial Palace, he participated in a Japanese people ritual, which consists in drinking a local tea, accompanied by the First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço.

Governor defends partnership

 

After a meeting with the Angolan Head of State, the Governor of Kyoto, Takatoshi Nishiwaki, defended the need for a strategic partnership with Angola and noted the country's potential in the mining, agricultural, fishing and tourism sectors, adding that cooperation links with the African country had become increasingly close since the creation of an Angolan honorary consulate in Kyoto in 2021.

Kyoto, the former capital of Japan, is a city on the island of Honshu, famous for its many classical Buddhist temples, gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses. It is also known for its formal traditions, such as the kaiseki dinner, with several specific dishes and it is located about 470 kilometres off Tokyo City.

  

According to President João Lourenço's schedule, he is expected to leave the city of Kyoto this Wednesday, returning to Luanda with a stopover in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Japan: Angolan Health sector gains vaccines conservation vehicle

 Nagoya -The Japanese multinational Toyota Tsusho Corporation has donated an off-road Toyota vehicle, equipped with a vaccine refrigeration system to facilitate the transportation of vaccines to the Angolan population residing in areas of difficult access.

The vehicle was delivered on the basis of the memo signed between Angola’s Health Ministry and the Toyota Tsusho Toyota, in a ceremony witnessed by the President of Angola, João Lourenço, to whom the key of the vehicle was handed over.

 

According to the Health minister, Silvia Lutucuta, the vehicle - which is capable of storing a large capacity of vaccines at temperatures of two to eight degrees - is already certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international bodies linked to the production and conservation of vaccines.

 

The minister, who is part of the presidential delegation in Japan, said more resources of this kind are expected to be acquired in the near future and made available to the country's provinces.

 

Support from Japan

Bilateral cooperation began in 1988 as Emergency Aid, through UNICEF.

 

 After the end of the war in Angola in 2002, Japan began to provide assistance in the demining and social reintegration of ex-soldiers and refugees.

African ambassadors assess Lobito Port's valences

 Lobito - A group of 15 African ambassadors accredited to Angola visited the Lobito Port, in centre-west Benguela Province, on Tuesday, where they got acquainted with its organization and operational capacity, ANGOP has learned.

The objective was to get information on the advantages of using this important infrastructure in the Lobito Corridor, to take to their countries and attract investors to carry out commercial exchanges with Angola.

 

On the occasion, they were shown an institutional video that mirrors the organization of work, compliance with international rules and cargo movement, while on the ground they saw the conditions of the multipurpose terminal (general and containerized cargo).

 

At the end of the visit, the counsellor at the Zambian Embassy, Rostec Rapaya, said that this visit is important for all African countries, particularly his, due to economic interests within the scope of the Lobito Corridor and beyond.

 

He recalled that President Hakainde Hichilema visited this port last year and managed to identify some areas where there could be cooperation between Angola and Zambia.

 

He also added that the port of Lobito is one of the safest in Africa and encourages people to have the necessary confidence to cooperate with Angola and promote tourism.

 

Asked about the construction of the railway branch that connects Ruacano (Moxico Province) to the border post in Jimbe (Zambia), Rostec Rapaya said that a memorandum has already been signed, assuring that steps are being taken, so there will be news regarding this issue in the near future.

 

To the ambassador of the Republic of Mozambique, Osvalda Joana, the Lobito Port is an infrastructure of great use for Africa and the world, which is probably not being well explored.

 

"If all of us exploited it properly, we would be contributing to the development not only of Angola, but of Africa, as it would reduce costs and facilitate the transportation of goods and people. It is something that we are going to study to find ways to fit into the development of South/South cooperation", she opined.

 

This event was followed by a visit to Carrinho Group, a private company incorporated under Angolan law with an industrial complex located in the neighbourhood of Taka (Benguela).

 

It has 17 factories with the capacity to process more than two million tons of raw materials, producing over 20 basic basket products.

 

The diplomats were also honoured with a tour of the Municipality of Catumbela, with emphasis on the Forte de São Pedro, built on top of a hill, in a dominant position on the bank of the Catumbela river.

 

They expressed interest in visiting other provinces in the country, with Namibe (south-west) as their next destination. Their return is scheduled for Wednesday.

 

Ambassadors from Gabon, Morocco, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Guinea Conakry, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya and São Tomé and Príncipe were present in the activity.

Bahrain: Angola and IPU sign agreement for Luanda General Assembly

 Manama - The National Assembly and the Secretariat of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) signed Tuesday in Manama, capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, an agreement to hold the 147th General Assembly in October this year, in Luanda.

The agreement signed by the Angolan Parliament Speaker, Carolina Cerqueira, and the secretary general of the IPU, Martin Chungong, establishes the rules for the holding of the event, which should be fully complied with for the success of it.

 

With the signing of the agreement, Angola pledged to implement all IPU's guidelines before and during the event.

 

According to Carolina Cerqueira, Angola takes on the responsibility and commitment of once again dignifying the country by holding an event that represents the weight of the Angolan parliament in the regional and international context, a strong parliament, democratic, sensitive to gender, engaged in the defence of ecology and, above all, that responds to the longings, concerns and dreams of all Angolans.

 

Cerqueira said that an organising committee has been set up and to implement the outlined lines of actions  counting on the support of the IPU, so that the Luanda meeting could promote and develop exchange and create bridges of solidarity, consultation, dialogue and, above all, action in favour of the wellbeing and improvement of the social conditions of the population.

The Angolan Parliament Speaker added that the country would take advantage of the occasion to show its hospitality, culture and to promote tourism. 

 

She reassured that all the conditions for the country to host such event are in place.

 

The secretary-general of the IPU, Martin Chungong, on his turn, said the signing of the agreement represents the marriage between Angola and the organisation.

 

According to Chungong, Angola and its parliament are once again demonstrating their commitment to promoting democratic ideals.

Chungong said that the organisation has already begun to invite its members to be present in Angola to participate in the event that will serve to address issues of common interest.

 

During the 146th General Assembly of the IPU, Angola gathered experiences of the coordination of the meeting in Bahrain, during a meeting between the National Assembly Speaker , Carolina Cerqueira, and the President of the Organising Committee, Jamal Fakhro.

 

The Angolan delegation took the opportunity to gather detailed information about the organisation of the event, learning from Bahrain's experience for the success of the event Luanda intends to host.

 

During the IPU general assembly, parliamentarians discussed the organisation's strategies on climate change, accountability at all levels, as well as the transformation of speeches into actions to fight climate change.

 

The agenda encompassed the strengthening of climate legislation to reduce carbon emissions and support for a clean energy transition.

 

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is made up of 178 national parliaments and 12 regional assemblies. It is currently the main parliamentary interlocutor for the United Nations.