The Russian ambassador to Angola said today that the visit of the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Serguei Lavrov to the Portuguese-speaking country serves to bring the two countries closer together and resolve any differences.
Speaking at the 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, where Serguei Lavrov arrived on Tuesday afternoon, Vladimir Tararov stressed that the goal is to strengthen relations and “remember the times” when they were together, which strengthens the “friendship” between the two countries indicates. .
“We are going to create synergies between our two countries so that they can be closer, more conducive to the development of bilateral cooperation,” he said.
When asked about statements by Angolan President João Lourenço urging Russia to take the first step towards a solution to the conflict with Ukraine, the diplomat underlined that this step had already been taken “several times”.
“That was at the beginning of the conflict, in March last year there were negotiations that ended in a special agreement, but then the Ukrainian side refused that agreement and now there is even a law in Ukraine that prohibits relations with Russia”stressed Tararov, adding that “(Ukrainian) President Zelensky has stated that there is no chance to talk to Russia, to negotiate only with Russia (after winning)”.
Tararov also assured that Russia would like to take that step, but initiating the ceasefire “does not mean that the Ukrainian side will do the same”.
“This has been confirmed for eight years, since 2014, when we signed the Minsk agreements to make peace between the republics of Donetsk and Donbass and Ukraine, but violated them and now the leaders of Europe, who guaranteed those agreements, have announced that they were only signed to gain time and that the Ukrainian side could even attack Russia. This has already been publicly confirmed”countered.
The ambassador also stated that the relationship and cooperation between Angola and Russia have not been damaged “because each country has its freedom and sovereignty to choose its position and its path”.
But he stressed that Russia wants more proximity: “We would like this path to be closest to us and we want to explain our position. Let’s see, that’s why Lavrov will arrive here, so that we can solve all our existing problems between our countries” .
Russian Foreign Minister Serguei Lavrov will meet with his counterpart, Téte António, and Angolan President, João Lourenço, on Wednesday.
Source: DN
