Philippines and Angola Convene Inaugural Political Consultations

MANILA 28 March 2025 – The Philippines and Angola convened on 17 March 2025 the inaugural Political Consultations at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila.

The Philippine delegation was led by the Honorable Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, while the Angolan delegation was led by Her Excellency Esmeralda Mendonça, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Angola.

The Consultation was convened pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Political Consultations signed in 2022 in Luanda, Angola. The meeting is also the first bilateral consultation meeting hosted by the Philippines with a bilateral partner from Africa in 2025.

The Consultations reviewed the status of relations between the Philippines and Angola in the areas of political cooperation, economic cooperation and trade, as well as cooperation in the areas of agriculture, technical and vocational training, tourism and the marine environment. The Philippines and Angola also discussed enhancing cooperation under the South-South Cooperation framework.

Both sides also had a candid exchange of views on regional issues of mutual concern. Secretary of State Mendonça briefed the Philippines on Angola’s mediation role in the ongoing political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Undersecretary Lazaro, on her part, gave a briefing on recent developments in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Angola established formal diplomatic relations on 14 September 2001. Ambassador Paul Raymund Cortes is the accredited non-resident Philippine Ambassador to Angola (based in Lisbon, Portugal). Ambassador Daniel Antonio Rosa is Angola’s resident Ambassador to the Philippines. END