Cape Verde has had a new government in place since June of this year, and its new Foreign Minister and Environment Minister are currently in Luxembourg on a working visit.
Cooperation between Luxembourg and Cape Verde goes back to the 1980s, and the countries' evergreen relations were on full display at Tuesday's press conference.
Although the ministers had not met in person before, the gathering had the feel of a meeting among friends. Luxembourg's cooperation efforts have continued to evolve over the years.
Among other things, Luxembourg's support for a hospitality school has given Cape Verde's tourism sector a considerable boost, according to Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto Lima Amante da Rosa.
Setting up that school, Lima Amante da Rosa said, had been part of a strategic vision shared with Luxembourg.
At the time, no one could have imagined that Cape Verde would one day welcome more than 1.2 million tourists a year, da Rosa noted. Thanks to the school, the necessary workforce was now available.
Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel described the cooperation policy he wanted to see pursued as one of self-sufficiency. It is all well and good to provide fish, he said, but it is better to know how to fish.
For Luxembourg, strengthening national capacities and developing human capital is also important.
The ultimate goal, in his view, is to be able to say: "Thank you, but we can manage on our own." That, Bettel added, is what cooperation means to him.
Cooperation is not about keeping someone in a state of dependency; it is about moving beyond the need for the other party – cooperation on an equal footing, then, as well as mutual support at the multilateral level.
Environment Minister Serge Wilmes assured that Cape Verde could be counted on as a partner on the international stage when it came to climate action and energy.
Cooperation also extends to security matters, for instance through the Interagency Centre for Maritime Security Operations in Cap Verde (COSMAR).
The sixth Indicative Cooperation Programme between the two countries was signed in February. Under that programme, Cape Verde will receive financial aid totalling €10 million over the next five years.
