Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Angola “highly appreciates” the Moroccan medical support for the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Angolan Minister of Health, Silvia Lutcuta.
“We would like to express our gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for this gesture of solidarity that will enable us to fight COVID-19,” Lutcuta told the press.
The Angolan official made the statement on Friday, June 19 during a ceremony to receive Moroccan medical aid at Luanda International Airport.
????#Covid19 : Arrivée à #Luanda de l’aide médicale marocaine destinée à la République d’#Angola. pic.twitter.com/iAQyE7DII5
— Maroc Diplomatie ?? (@MarocDiplomatie) June 19, 2020
“The King’s initiative represents a concrete action of African solidarity to help the countries of the continent in the fight against COVID-19,” Lutcuta said.
“It is an initiative with a strong humanistic value that reflects the commitment to a united Africa,” she continued.
The health official also qualified the initiative as “noble” and “generous,” before commending the relations of friendship and cooperation between Morocco and Angola.
“These relations are stronger than ever,” Lutcuta commented, recalling that diplomatic ties between the two countries date back to the period of Angola’s struggle for independence.
The Angolan minister then highlighted Morocco’s “leading role” on the African scene, which is further strengthened by the kingdom’s pan-African initiatives, especially in the current context of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Angola is one of several African countries that benefited from a shipment of Moroccan-made medical supplies.
On June 14, King Mohammed VI gave the instructions to send medical supplies to 15 African countries.
The aid consists of nearly eight million face masks, 900,000 visors, 600,000 hygiene caps, 60,000 gowns, 30,000 liters of hydroalcoholic gel, 75,000 boxes of chloroquine, and 15,000 boxes of azithromycin.
The initial list of countries to benefit from the aid included Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia.
While the initial list did not include Angola, the addition of the southern African country testifies to the strengthening of ties between Morocco and Angola.
The Moroccan medical aid arrived with proper timing, as Angola has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases since the beginning of June.
While the Portuguese-speaking country recorded 86 COVID-19 cases between March and May, the number of cases doubled to reach 172 in less than three weeks.
Not only is the medical aid going to support Angola’s medical staff, but it is also expected to boost bilateral relations between the two countries.
