Luanda, 21 Nov (Angop) – Experts from the Migration and Foreigners Services of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo have suggested the implementation of a border crossing card for citizens residing in the neighbouring provinces of both states.
The conclusion came from the meeting between the two countries’ migration services officials, held in Luanda last Tuesday and Wednesday.
For the entry, in addition to showing the card, each person will be required to apply for a cross-border visa valid for fifteen days, extendable only once for an equal period of time.
According to Teresa Lopes, while reading the conclusions of the meeting, the experts also concluded that the parties should share useful information in the area of people circulation, illegal immigration, trafficking in human beings and related phenomena, and should not disclose to third parties the intelligence activities under this Agreement.
She stated that whenever one of the parties repatriates or removes one or more nationals from the other state for legitimate reasons, the party applying the measure must notify the other through official channels.
Teresa Lopes explained that the parties pledged to meet periodically to evaluate the implementation of the existing agreement at central and provincial levels. The meetings will be held at the level of directors-general, provincial directors and heads of border posts and checkpoints whenever necessary.
The official said that they also agreed that the bilateral meetings have to happen alternately in the two territories every two years for the directors-general and every year for the provincial directors.
The agenda of the meeting include topics like “Information on the organization and functioning of the Directorate-General for Migration of the SME”, “Analysis of the state of implementation of the tripartite agreement on the movement of persons and goods, along the common border, signed in 1999 « , “Consideration of the draft bilateral agreement on the establishment and movement of persons along the common border between Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo”.
