The US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, has congratulated Angola on the 49th anniversary of its independence, which is being celebrated on Monday, highlighting the “exceptional” partnership between the two countries in recent years.
The US has forged closer diplomatic and economic ties with Angola since João Lourenço took over as president of the latter in 2017. US President Joe Biden is expected to visit the African country in the first week of December, becoming the first US head of state to do so.
In his statement, Blinken emphasised the “exceptional” growth of the strategic partnership between the US and Angola in recent years.
“We expanded trade and investment, increased our security cooperation, built on our already strong collaborative efforts in healthcare, and strengthened our bilateral relationship,” reads his message, posted on the State Department website.
“As I said when I visited Luanda earlier this year, America’s future and Africa’s future are joined together,” it continues. “Our peoples are joined; our prosperity and success is linked. I send my best wishes to the Angolan people as you celebrate your independence today.”
Angola’s independence from Portugal was proclaimed on 11 November 1975 by Agostinho Neto, leader of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which remains in power to this day.
Lusa
