Mozambique and Portugal should strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of oceans, in view of the conference scheduled for June 2022 in Lisbon, the Portuguese Sea Minister said today.
“Both the President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, and the Minister of the Sea, Augusta Maita, have shown commitment to helping at the Oceans Conference,” Ricardo Serrão Santos told Lusa.
The Portuguese government official was speaking on the sidelines of the 2nd International Crescendo Azul Conference, focused on the oceans and held in Vilanculos, Inhambane province, southern Mozambique.
For Ricardo Serrão Santos, the United Nations Oceans Conference, to be co-organized by Portugal and Kenya, will arouse the interest of any country that has the protection of biodiversity on the development agenda, a fight that must be fought in a collective way.
“The commitment to the agenda of 30% of marine protected areas by 2030 is ultimately a common goal” and is included in the goals of both countries, he added.
Ricardo Serrão Santos recalled that Mozambique and Portugal already have a cooperation agreement that covers areas such as maritime safety and training.
“A commission is being created to monitor this bilateral agreement and, therefore, this is going forward. This is not a beginning, but rather it is to follow up on what was already happening,” stressed the Portuguese leader.
The 2nd edition of the International Conference “Growing Blue” took place on Thursday and today, bringing together more than 1,500 people in Vilanculos, Inhambane province, with the aim of promoting an economy based on the oceans, discussing mechanisms for the protection of biodiversity in Mozambique.
The event was under the slogan “Investing in the ocean’s health is investing in the future of the planet,” with Mozambique having a coastal area of about 2,700 kilometers facing the Indian Ocean.
In addition to a speech at the opening session on Thursday, Ricardo Serrão Santos was a speaker today, on the last day of the event, where he presented the theme “On the Way to the Second Oceans Conference, Lisbon 2022”.
