Portugal’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Francisco André, said that his country’s relations with Mozambique are at a “point of excellence”, and that cooperation projects show “above average execution”.
“Relations are in fact at a point of excellence, we have a strategic cooperation programme that runs from 2022-26 and which is being implemented well above average, it is quite likely that it will have to be strengthened,” he said.
Speaking on Monday (18) in Maputo, after a working meeting with Mozambique’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Manuel Gonçalves, the Portuguese leader pointed out that in recent times there has been a doubling of scholarships awarded to Mozambicans to attend higher education in Portugal, clarifying that they exceeded 2200 thousand.
“The two countries have also articulated positions on co-operation at regional and world level. At the meeting, we debated current international affairs, especially with regard to global concerns,” he emphasised.
The official also assured the continuity of support for training the Defence and Security Forces so that they can better combat the terrorism that is plaguing Cabo Delgado province. “A multi-sectoral mission will soon be travelling to that region of the country to find out about the real situation on the ground.”
For his part, Manuel Gonçalves also gave a positive assessment of the relationship between the countries, highlighting the favourable results of the implementation of priority projects.
“Work is progressing positively, we have implemented the projects that were previously agreed in the priority areas. We’ve made progress in the areas of Health, Culture, Education, Finance and Agriculture,” he said.
