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Vice-Minister Verbickas in Luanda discussed the development of the partnership with Angola

On 25 November, at the margins of the African Union - European Union Summit in Luanda, the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Vidmantas Verbickas met with Secretary of State for External Relations of the Republic of Angola, Esmeralda Bravo Conde da Silva Mendonça to discuss prospects for strengthening bilateral political dialogue, economic cooperation, educational exchanges, and people-to-people contacts. Both sides affirmed their commitment to further develop the partnership and explore new areas of cooperation.

Verbickas invited the Secretary of State of Angola to visit Lithuania and proposed holding bilateral political consultations in the near future. He also thanked for a visa-free regime for citizens of Lithuania and discussed the possibility of simplifying the issuance of visas to holders of diplomatic passports.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on how to strengthen economic cooperation. The volume of bilateral trade in 2024 amounted to about 20 million euros.  Lithuania sees potential to diversify and expand this figure. Opportunities for strengthening cooperation between the seaports of Klaipėda and Luanda were also considered.

The Vice-Minister underlined that Lithuania was reviewing its development cooperation policies, paying more attention to African states under the Global Gateway initiative. Lithuania is ready to share its experience in the areas of e-government, digitalisation, cybersecurity, the fight against disinformation, and information technology. According to the Secretary of State of Angola, education is one of the country's priorities. She expressed interest in study and academic exchange opportunities.

The conversation also covered the international security situation, including Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the need to defend the principles of the UN Charter and the rules-based international order.