LUANDA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Sao Tome and Principe wants to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Angola, visiting Foreign Minister of Sao Tome and Principe Carlos Tiny said here on Wednesday.

    After meeting with Angolan Prime Minister Antonio Paulo Kassoma in the Angolan capital Luanda, the foreign minister of Sao Tome and Principe told reporters that his country wants to reaffirm the interest of the island nation in strengthening the solidarity and cooperation ties with Angola.

    He added that his government defined Angola as first strategic partner of cooperation and these relations will be reinforced progressively.

    "The historical and blood-relationship ties between the two peoples should be translated into a more dynamic cooperation and placed in a higher context," he said.

    He added that his country's Prime Minister Joaquim Rafael Branco will visit Angola soon to discuss with his counterpart the strengthening of this cooperation for the good of both sides.

    According to him, Angola's oil company "Sonangol" has already affirmed itself as a partner of Sao Tome and Principe in the offshore oil exploration and development and the two countries will in the near future be more concrete in the joint oil development zone.