Joint Communiqué issued at the end of the State Visit to South Africa by His Excellency, Engineer JoséEduardo dos Santos, President of the Republic of Angola, 14th – 15th December 2010.
At the invitation of HE Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, HE Jose Eduardo dos Santos, President of the Republic of Angola paid a State Visit to the Republic of South Africa from the 13th to the 15th of December 2010.This was President Dos Santos’ first State Visit to the Republic of South Africa.
His Excellency President dos Santos was accompanied by the First Lady, six Ministers, Government Officers and a business delegation.
During the visit, the two Heads of State discussed issues related to the deepening of bilateral relations and the most important topics on the Regional and International Political Agenda, focusing primarily on those issues which fall within the Regional and Sub-regional domain.
The two Heads of State expressed their unshakeable desire to deepen the ties of political, economic, technical-scientific, and cultural cooperation to a level that corresponds to the primary interests of the Angolan and South African people, particularly in the field of public works and infrastructure development, telecommunications and information technologies, agriculture, energy, and oil and gas. The two Heads of State also emphasized the role of the private sector in this process.
In this context, the two Heads of State expressed their satisfaction with the cordial relations that exist between the two countries and further emphasized the need to deepen cooperation on socio-economic and political issues of mutual concern.
The highlight of the visit was the signing of the following agreements: the Memorandum of Understanding on Public Works and Infrastructure Development; a Memorandum of Understanding on Telecommunications and Information Technologies; a Declaration of Intent on the Utilisation of Financial Facilities; an Energy Implementation Plan; and a Protocol on Technical Cooperation in Agriculture.
As such, the two Heads of State agreed to maintain a permanent and regular dialogue in an effort to harmonise their position on issues of bilateral and sub-regional interest in the field of energy, taking into account the interests of the Republic of Angola and the Republic of South Africa, as producer and consumer countries’ respectively.
In recognition of his contribution to the South African liberation struggle, President Zuma bestowed the Order of the Supreme Companion of OR Tambo (Gold) on His Excellency President dos Santos.
The Presidents reaffirmed their commitment to the SADC regional integration and reiterated their commitment to working together in promoting the SADC Agenda. This is of particular relevance in view of fact that in 2011 Angola will take over the Chairmanship of SADC while South Africa will take over the Chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics Defence and Security.
On this occasion, the two Heads of State expressed their concern with persistent conflicts and with the emergence of new sources of conflict and the consequences of these on the development and well-being of peoples.
In this regard, the two Heads of State called on the African Leaders to show the necessary political will for a solution to the serious problems affecting the African Continent and the International Community, with a view to consolidating cooperation with the African Union and other Sub-regional organizations such as SADC.
The two Heads of State expressed common views regarding the inter-connection between development, peace and security, human rights and the prevalence of the rule of law in International Relations as well as the creation of conditions that are conducive to the attainment of sustainable development on the African Continent.
Similarly, the two Heads of State also highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation between the UN and the AU, primarily in the domain of peacekeeping and security.
In this regard, the two Heads of State stressed the importance of the role of the United Nations, emphasizing the urgent need to reform the UN, particularly its Security Council, transforming it into a more representative, equitable and democratic instrument consistent with the principles and objectives as set out in the UN Charter. The two Heads of State reiterated their commitment to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and those of self-determination and independence of the peoples.
His Excellency, President dos Santos also conveyed to His Excellency, President Zuma Angola’s congratulations following South Africa’s successful election as a non- permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2011 to 2012. In this regard, President Zuma assured his counterpart that South Africa will prioritise the African Continent, promote peace and security and focus on the African Agenda during the two-year tenure at the United Nations Security Council.
During the visit, His Excellency President dos Santos laid a wreath at the Freedom Park Monument in commemoration of the fallen heroes of the liberation struggle.
His Excellency President dos Santos proceeded to Cape Town where he paid a site visit to Robben Island, a world heritage site with significant relevance in South Africa’s history.
In conclusion, HE Eduardo dos Santos, President of the Republic of Angola expressed his profound gratitude and appreciation to the people and Government of South Africa for the friendly and fraternal reception accorded to him and his delegation during his stay in the Republic of South Africa. In turn, H.E. Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa expressed his profound appreciation to H.E President Dos Santos for accepting the invitation and visiting the Republic of South Africa.
Done in Pretoria on 15th December 2010.
Issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation 460 Soutpansberg Road Rietondale
