The Portuguese ambassador to Mozambique, António Costa Moura, confirmed on Tuesday, June 10, that the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, will take part in the celebrations marking Mozambique’s 50th anniversary of independence, which will be held in Maputo on June 25.
“A historic moment that we will all have the privilege of witnessing. And so, just as Mozambique was represented at the highest level during the April 25 celebrations, it is with great honor that, responding to the kind invitation of President Daniel Francisco Chapo, Portugal will be represented at the independence celebrations by the President of the Republic, Professor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa,” he announced.
Speaking in Maputo during the June 10th celebrations (Portugal Day), the diplomat emphasized that 50 years ago the two countries “began building a relationship of friendship and cooperation between sovereign, free, and equal nations,” and, just a few years later, had signed more than 25 bilateral cooperation agreements in areas such as health, training, defense, security, culture, and education. “In the last 30 years alone, around 10,000 young Mozambicans have attended higher education in Portugal, with exponential growth in the past decade — a sign that ties between the two nations continue to be renewed from generation to generation,” he highlighted.
Quoted by Lusa, Costa Moura also emphasized support for technical and vocational education in Mozambique, noting that “between 2001 and 2018, the country benefited from more than 1,700 educational agents, teachers, and directors of vocational schools, and saw over 60,000 students graduate.”
He also recalled that the two nations signed the Technical Cooperation Agreement in the Military Domain in 1988 and, since then, 1,200 Portuguese military personnel have served in Mozambique, while 590 Mozambican military personnel have received training in Portugal.
Source: Diário Económico
