Mozambique: ‘Impartial’ in Ukraine conflict

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Mozambique: ‘Impartial’ in Ukraine conflict

6:02 CAT | 16 Jun 2023

File photo: Lusa

Mozambique on Thursday reaffirmed its “impartiality” and appealed for dialogue to end the war in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, calling it a conflict with “global impact”.

The issue was part of the 33rd Session of the Political Dialogue between Mozambique and the EU, which was held in the city of Tete, in the central interior of the country.

At the meeting, the Mozambican government “referred to the recent visits of the heads of Ukrainian and Russian diplomacy to the country as a testimony to their impartiality and defended dialogue as an instrument for peace,” according to a joint statement at the end of the meeting.

The EU “reiterated its solidarity with the Ukrainian people, considered Russian aggression to be brutal, illegal and illegitimate and that those responsible for all crimes committed in this context should be brought to justice before international courts”.

Despite the differences, respect for sovereignty is the common denominator.

“In this chapter, the parties [EU and Mozambique] proclaimed respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and the importance of peaceful resolution of conflicts,” the document added.

Mozambique received Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, on 26 May and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, on the last day of last month.

Ukraine has announced the opening of an embassy in Mozambique and invited the head of state, Filipe Nyusi, to visit the country, while Russia has indicated that Mozambique’s president and Vladimir Putin are due to meet in July on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg.

During the visits, delegations from the two warring countries declared their commitment to strengthening relations with Mozambique, while Maputo reiterated its call for peace and willingness to promote dialogue – a position it has defended as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The work of the session of Political Dialogue between the EU and Mozambique was led by Mozambique’s minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Verónica Macamo, and the EU Ambassador in Maputo, Antonino Maggiore.

The meeting was attended by the ambassadors of the member states resident in Mozambique, namely Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden, as well as representatives from Austria and Belgium.

Source: Lusa