Namibia, Vietnam to have more infrastructure involvement, strengthen ties with Angola

Namibia is planning to be involved in infrastructure rehabilitation and construction programs including food production in Angola.

The interest was stressed by the new Namibian ambassador, Patrick Nandago, at the end of the ceremony in which he was accredited by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço. The diplomat who was speaking to journalists said that with this involvement, his country intends to reach agreements on food production in Angola, taking advantage of the country's water resources, with reciprocal benefits.

The resident ambassador said he believed that his country could become a major meat supplier to Angola, just like it does with Europe. The new head of the Namibian diplomatic mission in Angola has been a career diplomat for more than 30 years and has held this position in Brazil, Uruguay and the United States of America.

The most active cooperation between the two countries is in the area of defence and security. Political and diplomatic consultation at the level of international and regional organizations came to an end when the Angolan and Namibian Governments signed the Memorandum on Diplomatic Consultations in 2009. In October 2005, the two countries signed the Visa Waiver Agreement on diplomatic, service and ordinary passports.

On the other hand, Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Ngoc Minh, also recently reaffirmed his country's interest in strengthening bilateral relations with Angola in the education, health and agriculture sectors, as well as likely to identify new areas of business. Vu Ngoc Minh, with the status of resident ambassador, has held positions in Australia, Germany and Panama. During the ceremony, President João Lourenço also received the credentials of the new Turkish ambassador, Alp Ay, who lives in Angola.