Angola's president commends Egypt's role in executing Gaza ceasefire agreement

CAIRO – 14 February 2025:  Angola's President João Lourenço commended Egypt's role in implementing the three-phase ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with international partners, to put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian enclave's residents.

Lourenço made the remarks during a meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli on Friday, on the sidelines of the 38th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The Angolan president underlined the importance of continuing the efforts of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to de-escalate the situation in the region and achieve just peace.

The prime minister congratulated Lourenço on Angola's assuming the presidency of the African Union, expressing confidence in the African nation's ability to lead the pan-African organization, especially in light of its commitment to bringing about peace, stability and sustainable development across the continent.

The premier highlighted the current momentum generated by the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries, notably the visit of President Sisi to Angola in June 2023.

Madbouli said he looks forward to the visit of Angola's president to Egypt this year, which in turn would contribute to advancing cooperation between the two countries.

The prime minister lauded the outcome of the first round of political consultations between the two countries at the diplomatic level in November 2024.

Madbouli stressed the two states' keenness to foster trade and investment relations, especially after holding the first Egyptian-Angolan Business Forum in October 2024.

The prime minister noted Egypt and Angola have the desire to push forward joint cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, communications, information technology, health, fertilizers, agriculture and capacity building.

The premier voiced Egypt's hope for strengthening coordination with Angola within the AU's Peace and Security Council (PSC) on priority issues, notably the Sudanese crisis and the situation in the Sahel region, Somalia, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Great Lakes, as well as the fight against terrorism in Africa.

Madbouli extolled the mediation role played by the Angolan president to reach a ceasefire deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The prime minister expressed Egypt's appreciation of Angola's support for nominating former antiquities minister Khaled El Anani for the post of director-general of the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

At the end of the meeting, Madbouli emphasized Egypt's determination to pursue its tireless efforts to stabilize the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and sustain the flow of humanitarian aid to Gazans to alleviate their suffering.