Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, has conducted an official visit to Angola.

The visit came upon the invitation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Angola, Téte António. This is the first time a sitting PGA visited the African country.

The Foreign Minister of Angola invited the Maldivian foreign minister to speak to the country's diplomacy students and get to know a water transfer project in the province of Cunene.

PGA Shahid was accorded a warm welcome by the beats of Angolan drums and dance at the Diplomatic Institute in Luanda, Angola.

And he expressed gratitude to the Angolan Foreign Minister and Secretary Esmeralda Mendonça PR of Angola to UN and UN Resident Coordinator Zahira Virani for the warm welcome.

The Foreign Minister of Angola, Téte António took to Twitter upon PGA Shahid’s arrival as well, expressing gratitude for accepting his invitation and visiting Angola for a “first-hand” experience of post conflict reconstruction and the dividend of peace after 27 years of war.

António’s Tweet goes on to read that “here we stand firm and committed to collective efforts through multilateralism.”

During the visit and meeting with his Angolan counterpart, the PGA thanked Angola for its steadfast support for his Presidency of Hope and commended Angola’s firm commitment to multilateralism and to peace and stability, particularly in the Great Lakes region.

The visit also saw the PGA paying a courtesy call on the President of Angola João Lourenço, where he applauded the government of Angola’s commitment to multilateralism, contribution to the work of the UN and the efforts to fight severe drought through the Cunene water transfer system.

PGA Shahid also interacted with the UN Country team in Angola, led by Resident Coordinator Zahira Virani and expressed thanks for the work they do on the ground in delivering UN objectives, including working in close cooperation with the government of Angola on their national priorities.

In addition to this he visited the Diplomatic Institute “Venâncio de Moura”, reflecting the significance that Angola attaches to multilateralism and for preparing young Angolans for the seen and unforeseen challenges of the 21st century diplomacy.

As part of the visit, the Maldivian foreign minister also planted a tree at the Diplomatic Institute.

PGA Shahid departed to Cafu Canal, in the province of Cunene in Southern Angola on Friday, accompanied by his Angolan counterpart.

The Cafu canal is a water transfer system of the Cunene River.

PGA Shahid will also visit the CHITAKA ECA Canal Cafu agroecological compound.

The PGA will end his Angola trip some time on Friday.

The UNGA’s President also conferred a message in Portuguese to commemorate the occasion of UN Portuguese Language Day, after reaching Angola, where the official language is Portuguese.