Angolan president meets visiting Russian FM

LUANDA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Angolan President Joao Lourenco on Monday in Luanda met Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov on bilateral ties.

According to a press release from the President's Civil Office, they discussed different issues related to the strengthening of bilateral relations during the meeting.

The Angolan statesman expressed interest in seeing the Russian Federation participate in more areas of the Angolan economy, such as gas production apart from diamond mining.

A package of agreements was also discussed by both parties, including validating the equivalences of academic diplomas.

The agreements under discussion are expected to be concluded and signed at the time of the visit by President Joao Lourenco to Russia later this year.

The relations between Angola and Russia reached a high point in 1976, when the two countries signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.

From 1976 to the present, relations between the two countries have undergone different stages of cooperation, and are currently significant in the sectors of Energy, Geology and Mining, Higher Education, Training, Defense, Interior, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Fisheries, Transport, Finance and Banking.

Currently, an estimated 1,000 Russians live in Angola, while at least 1,500 Angolans live in Russia.

After Angola, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation will visit Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Ethiopia. Endtiem