Luanda, Angola (7th January) – Speaker of the Parliament Abdulla Shahid has said he would like to urge the Maldives to improve political and cultural relations with the Republic of Angola.

Agência Angola Press (ANGOP) reports Shahid to have said this when speaking to the press at the "4 de Fevereiro" International Airport in Luanda.

ANGPOP states that Shahid said his visit to Angola is intended to strengthen parliamentary cooperation between the two legislative bodies and pledged to seize the opportunity to identify, with the Angolan MPs, areas to extend bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Angolan newspapers have said that Shahid is the first high level state official from the Maldives to visit Angola.

The papers also report Shahid to have said that his visit will facilitate for the relevant departments of the two countries to communicate officially.

At the end of his statement to the press in the international airport in Luanda, Shahid praised the efforts made by the Angolan government with focus to improve living standards for population, with stress to the rehabilitation of roads, schools, hospitals, airports among other infrastructures.

The trip to Angola by the Speaker of the Parliament comes as part of his official tour of to some African countries.