Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered his country's oil expertise to Angola, sub-Saharan Africa's No 2 crude producer, in a strategy to boost ties with what he calls "Mother Africa" and counter US influence there.
In his first visit to Angola on Thursday, the Venezuelan leader witnessed the signing of a bilateral oil co-operation accord between his country, the world's fifth largest oil exporter, and one of Africa's fastest growing producers.
The agreement, signed by the respective oil ministers, foresees co-operation in all aspects of the oil and gas industry, including possible joint production and refining projects, according to a copy of the text sent to Reuters.
The text said the accord could be implemented through the respective state oil companies, Venezuela's PDVSA and Sonangol. Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said the accord would allow PDVSA to work for the first time in Africa, where US and European oil companies have dominated for years.
Chavez, a firebrand anti-American populist, said in a speech in Luanda the strengthening of ties with Angola was part of his strategy to boost South-South co-operation and counterbalance US influence in the world.
"It's absolutely a lie that the destiny of the world has to be signed off by Washington. The world belongs to all of us, there isn't a policeman of the world who has to hold our hands," Chavez said, elaborating on one of his favourite themes.
He said Venezuela was opening an embassy in Angola. The Latin American oil producer had established diplomatic ties with 11 states in Africa in the last 15 months.
"We love Mother Africa," Chavez said, recalling that descendants of African slaves had helped in the fight to achieve Venezuela's independence from Spain.
Although Venezuela remains a major oil supplier to the US market, Chavez has made a point of signing political and energy alliances across the world - with Cuba, Iran, Russia and China - to challenge what he denounces as US "imperialism".
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos praised what he said were Chavez's efforts to use Venezuela's oil to promote social justice at home and a fairer world economic order.
Chavez, in particular, has been spearheading a resurgence in resource nationalism, in which crude producers, spurred on by high world oil prices, have been seeking to wrest better terms and more control from Big Oil multinational companies.