RIYADH: The Southern African country Angola has recently opened its embassy in Riyadh with the aim of enhancing bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
Speaking to Arab News, Angolan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Frederico Manuel dos Santos e Silva Cardoso said: “For us, it is a very important moment because being here will allow us to better know the Kingdom and its people, administration and businesspersons. This will help in strengthening our bilateral relations.
“Familiarity with the situation here will help boost trade relations between the two sides.”
The ambassador added: “Both Saudi Arabia and Angola are OPEC member states. Our principal relation is that of consultation within the OPEC forum, taking the most important decisions about oil commerce.”
The envoy said that the opening of the diplomatic missions in Riyadh will boost the OPEC partnership between the two countries.
“There are a lot of areas in which both countries could work together. We have a very high potential in agriculture, and we could work together in this area in order to have a mix of investments in both countries,” he added.
The envoy said that Saudi Arabia is also going to open its embassy in Angola soon. Currently, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Zambia is also in charge of Angola.
Bilateral relations between the Kingdom and Angola began in 2007 and were reinforced in 2019 with the visit of a high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia to the Southern African nation.
In January of this year, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a meeting with his Angolan counterpart, Tete Antonio, during which they reviewed their relations and ways to develop them across various fields.
The opening ceremony of the embassy was attended by a number of Saudi officials and diplomats from embassies in Riyadh.
In his welcome remarks, the Angolan ambassador thanked guests for attending this important occasion and “the Saudi authorities for the warm reception.” He described the opening of the embassy as a significant step toward strengthening the relationship between the two countries and creating an environment in which Angola’s culture and willingness to establish enduring ties with the Kingdom are made known.
