The impact of the war in Ukraine is being felt far beyond the European continent. In a bid to cut its dependence on Russian gas, Europe is keen to shore up its energy supply and look for alternative sources.
As the war in Ukraine passed its one-year mark, and following the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and Felipe VI, the King of Spain, Euronews spoke to Angola’s President João Lourenço about the vision of Africa’s second-largest oil producer, and a potential supplier of natural gas to Europe
War in Ukraine: What has been Angola’s position?
In two of the three resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly, which were aimed at Russia, Angola abstained.
“Abstention is not disapproval. Abstention means abstention. It should be interpreted as such,” João Lourenço told Euronews.
“In the second resolution Angola voted in favour because the resolution was very concrete, it aimed above all to condemn the annexation of the four regions from the Donbas.”
We believe that the priority at the moment is to bring Russia to the negotiating table
President of Angola
“In the most recent resolution, Angola abstained. However, beforehand it took the precaution of trying to negotiate – if we may use that term – either the withdrawal or the easing of just one paragraph. I am referring specifically to the operative paragraph, as they call it, or P9, which referred to as taking the aggressor to an international criminal court.
“It is not that this cannot be done, but we understand, and we know negotiation methods, that when you are negotiating you must always leave a door open.”
“We believe that the priority at the moment is to bring Russia to the negotiating table. We must do everything in our power to bring both parties, but especially Russia, to the negotiating table to achieve a lasting ceasefire and to negotiate peace not only with Ukraine but also with NATO,” Angola’s president added.
Working towards peace in Africa
João Lourenço has said that he is committed to contributing to the pacification of the African continent. In the case of the Central African Republic, the Angolan president advocated lifting the arms embargo on the government so that it could defend itself. Euronews asked him if he believed this is the only solution for peace.
“It is certainly not the only one. It is necessary that the country fulfils the Luanda roadmap. In some ways, it has begun to do so, but the process is not complete,” he said.
“It is, therefore, necessary to negotiate with all the living forces in the country, with the opposition in particular, at least that opposition that is in Central African territory. And give opportunities to other political actors to participate in the political life of the country.”
Regarding the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a severe humanitarian crisis has resulted from this war. At the Africa Union summit in Addis-Abeba, Angola, among other countries, made proposals to resolve this conflict.
“A new ceasefire must be reached. It is necessary, immediately after this ceasefire, to take the next step of quartering the M23 forces,” President João Lourenço explained.
“For this process to take place, the Summit concluded that there is a need for the deployment of the regional force, which is composed of several countries, namely Kenya, Burundi, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.”
“The Addis-Abeba Summit asked Angola to establish direct contact with the M23 leadership in order to convince them to accept the ceasefire and the quartering of their forces. And we immediately set about fulfilling this mission that was given to us. And at this very moment, Angola is already maintaining contact with the leadership of the M23.”
Can Angola help Europe replace Russian gas?
The current geopolitical context has forced Europe to review its priorities, and the bloc is continuing to look for alternative gas supplies.
“Angola is an alternative,” João Lourenço revealed. “Angola, at the moment, produces more oil than gas, although we have some gas. But we have set up a new consortium for gas production. So, several multinationals […] are going to start exploring more gas in Angola.”
Europe can count on Angola as an important supplier not only of gas but also of green hydrogen.
President of Angola
“We believe that the production of natural gas, non-associated gas, in Angola will experience a boom in the coming years and, therefore, from then on, Europe can count on Angola as an important supplier not only of gas but also of green hydrogen. We are already making contacts with some European countries for the production of green hydrogen.”
