Посольство Республики Ангола в РФ

Yesterday (on Wednesday) Moscow hosted the International scientific and practical conference devoted to the 4th of April - the Day of Peace and National Reconciliation in Angola and to the 60th Anniversary of the victory of soviet people over Nazi fascism in the Second World War.

Arranged by the Embassy of Angola in Russia, the forum debated reports came out by speakers representing different countries, among them, as outstanding, speeches of Angolan generals Geraldo Abreu Muhengo “Kamorteiro”, deputy Chief of General Staff on Administration, Antonio Francisco de Andrade, General Director of the Institute of social and professional reintegration of ex-military servicemen (IRSEM) and Jeronimo Jorge Ukuma “Regresso”, National Director of Defense Policy of the Ministry of Defense.

Along his speech the general Kamorteiro, one of signatories of the Memorandum about Additional Agreement to the Protocol of Lusaka, stated that the end of war is victory of all Angolans and that Motherland is ahead of private or party interests.

He highlighted the engagement of the President of the Republic of Angola Jose Eduardo dos Santos "who did everything to keep tongues hold, to make souls' dialog louder and to bring patriotic military men, morally supported by the entire nation, to sign on the 4th of April of 2002 the Protocol of Definitive Peace, unprecedented in Africa".

On his turn, general Antonio Andrade made a detailed overview of the policy of Angolan government aimed to the integration of former military servicemen in the social life.

He clarified that the General Program of Demobilization and Reintegration (PGDR) is a basic instrument to carry out three huge political actions tending the release of about 105 thousand soldiers of ex-military force of UNITA and 33 thousand of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) servicemen, the support to the social and economic re-integration of all demobilized personnel, as well as relocation of Angolan government expenses from military to social and economic sectors.

Relating the topic "Long Steps-Road to the National Reconstruction" general Jeronimo Ukuma "Regresso" stated that the success of the desire passes also through the choice of deserved and balanced international partners, open for mutually advantageous institutional and business cooperation with Angola, turned to its economic recovery for the benefit of sustained development of the country.

During the conference other relevant topics were debated, such as "Cuba and its Contribution to the Guarantee of Sovereignty and Independence of Angola", by the Ambassador Jorge Marti Martinez, and "Russian-Angolan Cooperation in Mining", by Evgueni Romanko, expert of "Zarubezhgeologia" - enterprise linked to the ministry of natural resources of Russia.

One of issues entitled "The Decisive Role of Progressive Forces in the Struggle for Liberation of Angola and the Influence of the USSR/Russia on the Defense of Angolan People's Gains in the International Scene" pronounced by the Assistant Director of the Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Science Vladimir Shubin was followed by audience with particular interest.

Shubin revealed little known events which marked the history of relations between Angola and ex-USSR having recalled as well the part played by the former socialist power to bring the United Nations to approve in 60-s of the XX century the Declaration about Independence of colonized countries and peoples.

Summarizing the balance of three years of peace in Angola the Ambassador Roberto Leal Monteiro “Ngongo” found it positive, emphasizing the fact that more than 3 million of migrants had returned to their native lands, the same way as more than 200 thousand refugees settled before in neighbor countries.

Referring the statistic data the diplomat focused the attention on the inflation, still relatively high at the moment, however showing the tendency to decrease, having diminished for the first time to 2-digits' index, 76,57% in 2003, falling to 31,01% in 2004, while further drop to 12,2% due to actual economic growth, is expected.

"What we do observe is that peace brought to Angola not only hopes, rather certainty of its incentive impact on the development of the whole society, and although its value cannot be expressed in common measures, without peace technical and economic wealth-creating process cannot go ahead", the head of Angolan diplomatic mission in Russia stressed.

The celebration of the Day of Peace and National Reconciliation involved also a variety of political and cultural activities hold among the Angolan community in Russian cities of Moscow, Voronezh and Rostov-on-Don, as well as in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

Press-center of Angola Embassy in Russia
27.05.2005