declare independence from Portugal and form a confederacy with Brazil. These plans ultimately failed due to diplomatic pressure from Great Britain who did not want to see the creation of a new south Atlantic empire, and stronger political lobbying on part of Angolans who were aligned with Lisbon. In addition, one of the stipulations of Brazil's independence from Portugal was a clause that Brazil would promise not to accept direct control over any Luso-African territories. Angolan Independence and Post-Independence relations In November 1975, Brazil became the first country to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with newly independent Angola. Soon afterwards, Angola descended into a civil war which lasted until 2002. In July 2002, Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos paid a visit to Brazil to attend the 4th CPLP Summit in Brasília. In 2003, Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, paid an official visit to Angola. There would be several high-level visits between leaders of both nations. The Angola–Brazil relationship benefits from the presence of a significant number of Brazilian workers, self-employed professionals and entrepreneurs, who work, live and contribute to Angola's economy. In the defense area, Brazil participates in military exercises alongside Angola, either within the scope of the CPLP, or in the context of the “Obangame Express” operation on simulations to combat illicit activities in the Gulf of Guinea. In addition, each year the Brazilian Army has deployed officers to collaborate in matters of instruction with their Angolan counterparts, including in a project to create a training center for peace operations, along the lines of an existing counterpart in Brazil. In November 2015 both nations celebrated 40 years of diplomatic relations. In January 2019, Angolan Foreign Minister, Manuel Domingos Augusto, paid a visit to Brazil to attend the inauguration of President Jair Bolsonaro. In December 2019, Brazilian Foreign Minister, Ernesto Araújo, paid an official visit to Angola and met with President João Lourenço. High-level visits High-level visits from Angola to Brazil President José Eduardo dos Santos (2002, 2010, 2014) Foreign Minister Georges Rebelo Chikoti (2011, 2012, 2015) Vice President Manuel Vicente (2016) Foreign Minister Manuel Domingos Augusto (2019) High-level visits from Brazil to Angola President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003, 2007, 2010) Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota (2011) President Dilma Rousseff (2011) Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira (2015, 2016) Vice President Michel Temer (2015) Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes (2018) Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo (2019) Bilateral agreements Both nations