The Official Visit of Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva to Angola Has Begun

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva arrived from Windhoek in Luanda. She will be on a two-day official visit to the Republic of Angola at the invitation of Foreign Minister Manuel Domingos Augusto, the first of its kind since 1989, the Foreign Ministry said.

The purpose of the visit is to restore and strengthen political contacts between the two countries, as well as to promote business contacts and investments of Bulgarian companies in Angola.

Bulgaria's foreign trade relations with the region are part of the common trade and EU development cooperation policy towards sub-Saharan Africa, in which Bulgaria is actively involved. Bulgaria's foreign economic relations with these countries should be stepped up, given the traditionally good ties with a number of them and in view of the region's growing role in world politics and economy, its enormous economic potential and natural resources.

The restoration of the tradition of Angolan citizens to study at Bulgarian universities is also expected to be discussed. According to MES information, 40 Angolan citizens are currently studying in Bulgaria.

The Angolan country is also interested in exploring training opportunities for their military in Bulgaria. In 2017, a delegation led by Lieutenant General Antonio Fernandez, Head of Angola Artillery, visited the Vasil Levski National Military University, and Angola's Deputy Minister of Fisheries Mrs. Maria Antonio Nelumba visited the Naval Academy "N. Vaptsarov" " in Varna.

Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva received an invitation to visit Angola during her first meeting with counterpart Manuel Domingos Augusto in Pretoria in 2018. At that time, in the Republic of South Africa, the EU Council Presidency...