Luanda, ANGOLA, November 27 - The Kingdom of Belgium intends to strengthen cooperation with Angola in the port, diamond, university scientific research and environmental protection sectors.,

The intention was expressed today (Wednesday), in Luanda, by the Belgian ambassador to Angola, Jozef Smets, following an audience granted  to him by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos.

The diplomat said that his country considers these sectors "fundamental" in a new era of cooperation with Angola.

He announced the arrival in March, 2020, of researchers from the University of Liege to work with the Huambo Faculty of Agronomy.

He said Belgium should also work with the Angolan government to mitigate the drought problem in the south of the country.

Jozef Smets, who has been Belgium's diplomatic representative in Angola since September this year, said that his country will also start a permanent dialogue with the Angolan government on the Great Lakes region.

"The Kingdom of Belgium welcomes the way Angola, a strong and stable country, is contributing significantly to the stability of the Great Lakes region," he said.

At the meeting with the Angolan Speaker of Parliament, issues related to the implementation of local power authorities in Angola, parliamentary cooperation, approval of the Angolan Penal Code and the State Budget (OGE) 2020 were also raised.

Political-diplomatic relations between the Republic of Angola and the Kingdom of Belgium began in 1979.

Four agreements, two memoranda and three business contracts are the result of cooperation between the two countries.

At the top of this partnership is the Economic, Scientific and Cultural Cooperation Agreement signed on 26 April 1983.

Founded in 1817, the University of Liège is a leading public education institution in the Kingdom of Belgium.

The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Belgium in June this year, during which he had a meeting with King Philip and Prime Minister Charles Michel.

Meanwhile, the third specialized work committee of the National Assembly also met with a delegation from the Duma Foreign Relations Committee, lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly.