Serbian, Angolan interior ministries sign MoU

BELGRADE - Serbian caretaker Interior Minister Ivica Dacic and his Angolan counterpart Manuel Gomes da Conceicao Homem, who is on an official visit to Serbia, signed on Thursday in Belgrade a MoU between their ministries on civil defence and firefighting and rescue services.

The MoU was signed at the Palace of Serbia following a meeting of the two ministers.

Dacic said the MoU was aimed at advancing cooperation between the interior ministries through various forms of sharing information, experiences, examples of good practices, as well as through visits and seminars in the field of civil defence and firefighting services when it comes to fire prevention and containment and rescue operations.

Dacic said the ministries had already signed a document on security and public order and that the MoU had been signed pursuant to an agreement reached during a recent visit to Serbia by an Angolan delegation headed by the country's president.

He noted that Angola was a great friend of Serbia and that the former Yugoslavia had been the first European country to recognise Angola in 1975, just one day after its declaration of independence.

"Before formal independence, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola had an information bureau in our country that was an informal embassy, and we provided scholarships to their staff," Dacic said.

Serbia and Angola have maintained good relations both historically and in the present times, Dacic said, noting that Angola had voted against UNESCO and Interpol membership for the so-called Kosovo.

"Their vocal opposition in front of everyone is something that will never be forgotten," he added.

Welcoming the development of bilateral relations with Angola, Dacic said the visit by the Angolan president had been a historic one, and added that he believed the good relations would continue to develop in the future.

"Angola can count on Serbia's friendship. As far as our ministry is concerned, besides the things we discussed today, we are also ready to offer training for their police officers," Dacic said.