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On February 22, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada received a courtesy call from the Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola, Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, and engaged in wide-ranging discussions regarding the bilateral relationship between Japan and Angola. The meeting was also attended by Administration Committee Chair Makoto Taki, International Department Director-General Chinami Nishimura and Vice Director-General Harunobu Yonenaga.
Okada commented, “I hear that discussions regarding an investment treaty between Japan and Angola are progressing well. We would also like to do our best at the party level to further deepen the bilateral relationship.” He went on to emphasise the importance of strengthening bilateral economic exchanges, saying, “I would like to support efforts by Japan to extend even more economic cooperation to Angola than before.”
Chikoti stated that he had chosen Japan as his first destination outside of Africa to visit since becoming Minister, and said that the reason for this was, “The Angolan government has deep ties of friendship with Japan, and considers it to be an important country. During the civil war, Japan was the second largest donor country to Angola, and I wanted to express my gratitude for the continued support we have received since then in various fields, starting with humanitarian support.”
Chikoti also commented on the current state of affairs in his country, saying, “We have experienced a civil war, and now we have entered the stage of recovery and reconstruction. We can no longer feel the influence of the civil war. Our government is emphasizing the development of human resources, and aiming to achieve the goals that we have made pledges on to the international community.” Okada agreed with Chikoti’s points, saying, “People are the backbone of nation-building. I would like Japan to thoroughly research what is necessary for Angola over the medium to long term and to provide support.”
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