Angola is considering closing 18 of their consulates, including their representation in Macau. The information comes over a proposal written by the Secretary for Diplomatic Affairs of the President of Angola, Victor Lima, to be handed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country.
The proposal stated that the measure includes the closure of 18 consulates as well as another ten commercial representative organizations around the world, aiming to save the government USD66 million (over MOP531 million). It includes not only the closure of the local diplomatic representation but also ones in Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
Several embassies were also noted in the document, such as those in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Netherlands, and Mexico, among others.
The Macau consulate-general of Angola has been established for 11 years and according to figures cited by several media sources, it has around 50 registered users served by an estimated 16 staff members.
Commenting on the potential closure of the consulate-general of Angola, the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Angola in Macau, Carlos Lobo said to TDM radio, that the measure is “understandable” and comes in light of the new policies and the “new way [that the president of Angola, João Lourenço] sees matters related with the state, meaning that such measures and strategies have been studied [to optimize resources].”
Lobo said the measure should not cause major problems to the work done locally as well as in connection with central government of China.RM
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