The president of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, and the prime minister of Portugal have both expressed delight with the return of bilateral meetings, and António Costa has reiterated “every commitment” to continue working with that African nation.
After the two presidents had earlier met Thursday in private, these stances were adopted in the first few minutes of the extended meeting of the two delegations at the Fifth Luso-Moçambican Summit, at the Presidency of the Republic of Mozambique.
The Prime Minister was praised by the President of the Republic of Mozambique for accepting the invitation to the summit taking place in Maputo today.
Additionally, Filipe Nyusi used the occasion to congratulate António Costa on his victory in the January 30 legislative elections, in which the PS won an outright majority.
“The interval was very short to organise, but the Portuguese people did not need much time to decide what they wanted most, more stability. My congratulations are more for the Portuguese people, who in a serene, exemplary, and calm way elected you and the PS to be at the head of the country’s destiny,” pointed out the Mozambican head of state.
The Portuguese Prime Minister, for his part, reiterated “Portugal’s full commitment to continue working with Mozambique, both in tackling the challenges and also to be able to contribute so that Mozambique may fully realize all of its potentials.
António Costa
“And I think that this summit, as we already have a new strategic program, as we already have a new framework program in the area of defense, opens up prospects for us to take a very important leap forward in the traditional areas of sovereignty, health, education and especially in the diversification of the economy, not only in those areas as important as energy, but also in agriculture, which are areas of great potential for the future of Mozambique,” he stressed.
“Thank you very much, Mr. President, for the opportunity to work together again,” said António Costa, who also noted the hospitality with which he was received in Maputo.
As he discovers a small portion of his ancestry in Maputo, the president of the Portuguese government said it is “always a great pleasure” to visit the place where his father was born.
Given that the vote received “a total of 192 votes, an absolutely unprecedented result,” Costa commended Mozambique for “their recent unanimous election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.”
The prime minister noted that “it was a really promising moment for Mozambique, it was a very short time away from taking a new step in the consolidation of peace,” referring to the two nations’ most recent summit in Lisbon in 2019.
“I wanted to congratulate, as the whole process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration has been going on, the progress that Mozambique has meanwhile registered from the economic point of view, the fact that today the International Monetary Fund has reopened financing to Mozambique,” he said, also highlighting “the advances it has had in the fight against terrorism in the north.”
The conference was originally set for mid-July, but the prime minister emphasized “the enormous understanding that President expressed for the postponement” due to the significant fire risk that Portugal would face that week.
The official visit of António Costa to Mozambique began today with a ceremony at the Monument to Mozambican Heroes. It will last through Friday.