The governments of Mozambique and Angola want to strengthen bilateral relations and revitalise existing cooperation agreements, with a view to boosting the economic development of both nations.
Meeting on the sidelines of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo and his Angolan counterpart João Lourenço discussed the need to review the agreements signed in the past, with a view to putting them into practice soon.
‘At the meeting we talked about the political, economic and social situation in Mozambique, we realised that there is an urgent need to reactivate some agreements that are dormant and to strengthen diplomacy between the two countries,’ said Chapo in an interview with the Mozambican Information Agency.
He also congratulated Angola on its election to the rotating presidency of the African Union, highlighting the historic importance of this moment for the Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP).
‘The last time a Portuguese-speaking African country chaired the AU was in 2003 through President Joaquim Chissano, and now, after 20 years, a Portuguese-speaking country is once again in this prominent position,’ he recalled.
Chapo also stressed that Angola’s leadership of the organisation was also a victory for Mozambique and the other PALOP member countries, and said that he was prepared to provide support for the AU’s success.
In Addis Ababa, Daniel Chapo met with the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and said that they had discussed ‘issues of common interest to our countries’. He also met with the Mozambican President of Tanzania, Samia Hassan Suluhu, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Winnie Byanyima.
