The Ambassador of Japan accredited to Mozambique, Hamada Keiji, stated that the Legislative Assembly, the National Diet, wishes to strengthen cooperation with the Assembly of the Republic (AR), Mozambique’s parliament.
In a brief statement to the press, minutes after a meeting granted by the AR president, Margarida Talapa, Keiji revealed that the National Diet is committed to creating a parliamentary cooperation group and sending deputies to Mozambique.
“We also discussed future exchanges between the two Assemblies […] intending to form a parliamentary friendship group, Japan and the African Union, of course including Mozambique,” he said.
“Moreover,” the diplomat continued, “we have many deputies interested in visiting Mozambique. Therefore, I would like this exchange between deputies of the two Assemblies to happen in the future.”
Keiji emphasized the recent working visit to Japan by the Mozambican Prime Minister, Benvinda Levi, who had the opportunity to meet with Japanese parliamentarians who expressed their desire to strengthen cooperation with the AR.
“The Prime Minister, (Benvinda) Levi, had the opportunity to meet representatives of our Assembly.”
Keiji assured continued support from the Japanese government to displaced persons victims of terrorist attacks, which tend to decrease drastically in some localities of Cabo Delgado province, in the north of the country.
He also assured assistance to the Defense and Security Forces fighting terrorists in Cabo Delgado.
“I spoke with the president of the Assembly about our cooperation activities in Cabo Delgado province, because we have two pillars: the first pillar is humanitarian assistance through United Nations agencies, and the second pillar is cooperation for stability in that province, through the (Mozambican) Ministry of the Interior,” he said.
He explained that the support consists of donating various equipment, including vehicles and boats.
Keiji acknowledged the Mozambican government’s effort to maintain stability and security in Cabo Delgado, stating that it is in Japan’s interest to stop terrorism in that province.
“We also want that stability because it is not only for the Mozambican people living in that province but also for the liquefied natural gas extraction project, since there is a Japanese company belonging to a consortium led by the French company TotalEnergies,” he said.
Keiji mentioned that the benefits of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project concentrated in Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin in Cabo Delgado, valued at over 20 billion dollars, are not only for Mozambicans “but also for the Japanese people.”
“So, in that sense, I hope the force majeure is lifted as soon as possible,” he said.
The LNG project was suspended in 2021 due to the intensification of terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado. In recent months, TotalEnergies, the operating company, reaffirmed its commitment to resuming the project.
Source: AIM