LUANDA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Angolan and Portuguese Defense Ministers, Salviano Sequeira and Jose Azevedo Lopes, respectively, reaffirmed on Monday in Luanda the interest in renewing and strengthening the partnership in the military field.

Both officials said so at the opening ceremony of the 17th Angolan/Portuguese Joint Commission in the field of defense.

The Angolan minister said that despite the global financial crisis, the government has invested in restructuring and resizing the security system, making it strong and effective in preserving stability and promoting development.

He considered a great value the cooperation with Portugal in the field of training, facilitated by the common language.

The Angolan minister said that military cooperation between the two countries is developing and consolidating, becoming an example of brotherhood and solidarity between the two peoples.

He believes that the two states will continue working together under the framework agreement for 2012 and 2021 and build together the path of progress that is made by cultivating healthy relationships.

On the other hand, the Portuguese minister said that the relationship at the defense and military levels has been one of the most solid, institutional and loyal constants of cooperation between Portugal and Angola.

He believes that the time has come to raise this relationship and cooperation to a new level, from the technical-military level to coperation in the defense field.

Azeredo hopes that the exchange will be based on innovative programs with mutual benefits.

According to him, the defense cooperation represents a real contribution to the fact that both countries are producers of global, regional and subregional security.

The minister is on a six-day visit to Angola, starting May 14, in order to learn about all military cooperation programs that take place between the two countries.

The Portuguese minister's visit happens at a time that the Court of Appeal of Lisbon, Portugal, last Thursday decided to transfer to Angola the lawsuit against the former Angolan vice president of the Republic, Manuel Domingos Vicente.

This decision happens in sequence of previous exhortations made by the Angolan President, Joao Lourenco, to the Portuguese judicial authorities to transfer the lawsuit against Vicente -- whose immunity only expires in September 2022 -- to be judged by Angolan courts.

Portugal is Angola's main source of imports and Portuguese companies are very active in banking and construction in the huge African country. In turn, Angolan investors have snapped up large stakes in top Lisbon-listed companies.