Sochi, ANGOLA, October 23 - Angolan head of State João Lourenço has been in Sochi city since Tuesday at 08:49 pm local time (06:49 pm in Angola), to attend the Russia-Africa Summit scheduled for 23-24 October.,

The Angolan head of State leads a government delegation that will seek to strengthen ties of cooperation with the Russian Government and businessmen, on the sidelines of a two-day event labeled historic by local authorities.

Accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, the President João Lourenço was received by the Minister of Defence, Alexander FOMIN.

The Angolan delegation comprises five ministers, representatives of the Angolan diplomacy and members of the Office of the President of the Republic.  

In Sochi, Joao Lourenço will have a busy agenda, including speech on the opening day of the Summit (Wednesday) and a formal meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

On the sidelines of the event, the President has audiences with high ranking officials from Russia's political, social and economic universe, including bank leaders, industrial and agricultural companies and producers of precious minerals such as diamonds.

Still, as part of this Presidential mission on Russian soil, the head of state will sign bilateral agreements in various fields, focusing on staff training and the implementation of a fertilizer industry in Angola.

João Lourenço returns to Russia five months after his first state visit to that country since he took office on 26 September 2017.

This time, he adds his voice to a "choir" of African leaders who devise a new page in multilateral cooperation with Russia, one of the main investors on the continent.