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Belgian Defence Minister Satisfied With Bilateral Relations

Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
NEWS
April 14, 2004
Posted to the web April 14, 2004
Luanda
The visiting Belgian Defence Minister, André Flahaut, on Wednesday, here, made
a positive appraisal of the level and extent of bilateral relations between his
country and Angola and vowed that they may also be strengthened in the military
sector.
André Flahaut expressed this desire judging the fact that his country recently
accredited, for the first time, a military attaché of their diplomatic mission
in Luanda.
The Belgian Minister was speaking to the press about issues which he discussed
with the Angolan Foreign Affairs Minister, João Bernardo de Miranda, which
included the situation in Central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
Regarding this last case, he seized the opportunity to also recognise the
support Angola has been giving to the efforts which the Kingdom of Belgium has
been making to rebuild the democratic and republican institutions of DR Congo.
"We consider important to inform DR Congo's neighbouring countries about what
we are doing and, at the same, be able to count with their support and
participation for the buiding of the new Congolese army", he said.
André Flahaut is in Luanda since Wednesday morning, for an official 48 hour-
visit to Angola, which opens a new era in the development of diplomatic and
military relations between both States.
It is the first visit of a Defence Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium, a
gesture which relates to the improvement of relations in this domain,
inaugurated with the recent opening of an office for the military attaché of
this diplomatic mission and accrediting lieutenant Douglas Teftin to the post.

   

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