The 117th Session of the Council of Ministers of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OEACP) was held from 23 to 26 July in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium, and having failed to reach a conclusion, it will resume next Wednesday in order to approve the decisions and resolutions, including the draft budget of the Secretariat for the financial year 20-24, the implementation of the Samoa agreement (new partnership between the OEACP and the EU), the report on the ministerial meeting on mines and critical natural resources, as well as a resolution on the initiatives taken by His Excellency, President João Gonçalves Lourenço, in his capacity as president of the OEACP Summit of Heads of State and Government.

The session is being chaired by Jamaica's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Her Excellency Kamina Johnson Smith. The Angolan delegation is led by His Excellency Domingos Vieira Lopes, Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Angolan Communities Abroad, representing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Téte António, and includes the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Angola to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the European Union, Mário de Azevedo Constantino, Ambassador Alves Primo and the Deputy Permanent Representative, Antoine N'Zita.

During the session, His Excellency the Secretary of State Domingos Vieira Lopes informed the Council of Ministers about the implementation of the initiatives taken by His Excellency the President of the Republic João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço as President of the OEACP Summit of Heads of State and Government, These initiatives include a meeting of the Bureau of the Council of Ministers, to be held virtually on 9 August, and a summit of heads of state restricted to the 6 regions of the OEACP, to be held on 23 September on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations Assembly.

The initiatives of His Excellency the President of the Republic, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, aim to mitigate the impact of the difficult financial, institutional and operational situation of the Secretariat, which is based on its responsibilities and attributions, which are entrusted to it by the revised George Town agreement, and thus contribute to the greater and better sustainability of the OEACP. The 117th session of the OEACP Council of Ministers, which is being held from the premises of the Angolan Embassy in Brussels, will resume its work in virtual format next Wednesday, 31 July.

On 30 June in Brussels, Belgium, the Port of Luanda was distinguished as one of the public companies with the best quality leadership, at a convention held by the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR), a European organisation dedicated to promoting the improvement of quality management strategies for processes, services and products on a global scale. The award, according to the ESR's statement, "took into account the fact that the Port of Luanda has, over the last three years, focused on providing quality services, good business practices and technological innovation through a successful performance strategy, thanks to its exceptional leadership and quality promotion initiatives". The award, received simultaneously by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Alberto Bengue, and the Director of Commercial, Sustainability, Compliance and Information and Communication Technologies, João Fernandes, of the Port of Luanda, recognises and rewards the efforts made and, at the same time, increases the level of responsibility of the company, which today handles around 8O% of the country's exports and imports. Awarded to both private and public organisations, the "Best ESQR Leadership" distinction aims to encourage the winners to seek better actions to achieve their business, institutional and professional objectives through the continuous improvement of quality. This year the award was extended to 55 organisations from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia, individually and collectively, linked to social, economic and diplomatic sectors, as well as business leaders, academics and professionals of renowned quality. The sponsor, the European Society for Quality Research, is a Swiss organisation, based in Lausanne but with an international reach. It should be remembered that this is not the first time that the Port of Luanda has been honoured internationally. In 2014, for example, it received the "Best Regional Container Terminal" award, as part of the prizes awarded by the international ports platform Crans Montana. This award is one of 11 categories created by this international platform to honour and encourage authorities involved in port activities.

Ambassador Mario de Azevedo was received in separate audiences at the Directorate for External Action of the European Union and at the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the European Union, by the Deputy Director General of the Africa Division and by the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Portugal, who, as you know, took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January. During the hearing, at the European Union's External Action, Mr Bernard Quintin formally received from Ambassador Mario de Azevedo a message from the Angolan Head of State, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, addressed to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and to Mrs Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission. The Deputy Director General of the Africa Division, who, on behalf of the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, had the honour of receiving the messages from the Angolan Head of State, emphasised the importance of Angola and the leadership of the Angolan President in the context of the forthcoming AU-EU Summit, which will certainly be an important milestone for deepening cooperation between the two institutions. Mr Bernard Quintin and Ambassador Mario de Azevedo Constantino agreed in their assessment that strengthening cooperation between the two institutions will also be fundamental to mitigating the impact of COVID and relaunching our economies. Still on the subject of cooperation with the EU, Ambassador Mário de Azevedo Constantino, among other aspects, highlighted the progress that has been made in Angola, highlighting in this context the progress in the area of good governance, the fight against corruption and in the areas of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as in the areas of economic and social impact. At the end of the hearing, Mr Bernard Quintin thanked the Angolan Head of State for his message to Presidents Charles Michel and Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Council and the European Commission, respectively. For his part, in the context of the excellent cooperation relations between the EU and the Republic of Angola, the Ambassador recalled the visit made in 2018 by President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço to the EU institutions, namely the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, making it clear that it is always an honour to be able to receive the highest and most distinguished personalities from the EU on an official visit to Angola. Still within the framework of cooperation relations with the EU, Ambassador Mário de Azevedo Constantino was also received in audience by Ambassador Nuno Brito, Portugal's Representative to the European Union, who, as you know, took over the rotating Presidency of the EU Council on 1 January. During the hearing, the interlocutors discussed issues of common interest, highlighting in this context the importance that the EU attaches to regional economic partnership agreements, and the Ambassador informed the meeting that the process of negotiating and joining the SADC Agreement is at a very advanced stage. Ambassador Mario de Azevedo Constantino highlighted the importance of these agreements in the areas of trade and investment, which in his opinion contribute to improving the business environment between the two institutions.

During the ceremony, His Excellency Ambassador Mário de Azevedo Constantino and the Belgian Monarch discussed issues related to the state of bilateral cooperation between Angola and Belgium, as well as international issues, namely conflicts on the African continent and the Covid-19 pandemic that is ravaging the world. Mário de Azevedo Constantino said that he would focus on strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as putting diplomacy at the service of the economy in order to mobilise resources for the business sector at international institutions based in Brussels. It should be remembered that co-operation relations between Angola and Belgium date back to 1977, and Ambassador Mário de Azevedo Constantino is the thirteenth Ambassador to be accredited to that country. Appointed on 10 June 2020 by His Excellency the President of the Republic João Manuel Goncalves Lourenço, Ambassador Mário de Azevedo presented his letters on 11 August this year. Mário de Azevedo Constantino holds a Master's degree in Public International Law from the University of Kiev in Ukraine and has been a Career Ambassador since 2015 The new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Angola to the Kingdom of Belgium has served, among other positions, as Director of the Office of Legal Affairs, Treaties and Litigation in Multilateral Affairs, and as Angola's focal point in the United Nations Permanent Consultative Committee, in charge of security issues in Central Africa. Press Office of the Angolan Diplomatic Mission to the Kingdom of Belgium, 10 September 2020.