Angola: Minister of State Meets With Us Secretary of Defence

Luanda — The Minister of State and Head of the Military Affairs Office to the President of Republic Francisco Furtado met Friday in Pentagon with the United States Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, as part of bilateral cooperation between Angola and the United States.

The meeting with senior US administration officials discussed several issues of common interest.

Among the matters, stress went to regional security, cooperation in the field of security, cyber security, peacekeeping operations, national security strategy, military training and modernisation of the Angolan armed forces (FAA), and climate change and its impact on security.

During the talks, the United States expressed its desire to see Angola become the pan-African peacekeeping leader, in view of its strategic location in Southern and Central Africa regions as well as leadership in the Great Lakes region, according to a press release from the Angolan diplomatic representation in US, reached ANGOP Friday.

The United States also expressed its total availability to support the modernisation process of the Angolan Armed Forces.

The American country also reiterated its support for the reforms carried out under the President João Lourenço and the commitment of its Administration to the strengthening, more and more, of the existing relations between the countries.

In turn, Francisco Furtado expressed the country’s availability to host the 7th international conference on cyber security in Luanda and expressed the interest in a greater involvement of Angola in the Atlantic Basin.

A Joint Declaration was signed at the end of the visit, in which the two countries reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of defence.

The aim is to carry on and ensure the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding of 17 May 2017, between the Ministry of National Defence of Angola and the United States Department of Defence.

In addition to the meeting with the US Secretary of State, the president’s aide also met with Chidi Blyden, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence; Celeste Wallander, Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs; and Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defence for Policy.