Angola has made it clear that closer trading cooperation between the two countries is will not happen.
In an interview on Public Television of Angola, the Angloan minister of foreign affairs mentioned South Africa, China and Brazil as alternative trading buddies.
"Angola will look for new horizons and will rethink its foreign policy with other priorities. We have other partners who are more important," said Georges Chikoti in a snub that will send shockwaves through Portugal’s corporate sector.
As for the conclusion of the first Luso-Angolan summit, originally scheduled for later this year and postponed to February 2014, the Angolan minister said he was not sure this now would happen.
Chikoti also said that "Portugal has to have some respect for Angolan bodies if it wants to manage such a relationship well - which has not really been happening, this also affects the development of any strategic partnership.”
This has been the first statement of Angola’s stance since the president Jose Eduardo dos Santos announced on the 15th of October the suspension of the creation of a strategic partnership with Portugal, pointing out "misunderstandings at the recent summit and the current political climate."
In mid-September, the Portuguese Foreign Minister for unexplained reasons apologised to Angola for investigations by Portuguese prosecutors into corruption by Angolan businessmen. Rui Machete told National Radio of Angola that the investigations into top Angolan business figures were just part of a bureaucratic process. Calls for Machete's resignation for this astounding interference in a legal process have been heard across Lisbon but of course Machete ‘has the full support of the PM.’
Meanwhile, Jose dos Santos is incensed at the sheer cheek of Portugal holding investigations and has started procedings against random Portuguese businessmen in retaliation. Portugal's prime minster's rudeness in saying from Mexico that he would "catch up with dos Santos and compare notes sometime" can not have calmed the African president's dark mood.
