Mozambique: Parliament Speaker defends economic cooperation with Russia – Watch

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Mozambique: Parliament Speaker defends economic cooperation with Russia – Watch

3:47 CAT | 27 Apr 2023

All Photos: Assembleia da República de Moçambique

Mozambique’s Parliamentary Speaker, Esperança Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias, expressed in Moscow on Tuesday (25-04) her interest in seeing a greater increase in economic and trade relations between Mozambican and Russian businesses, especially in the areas of mineral resources with a focus on gas, oil and energy, as a way to boost cooperation between the two countries and peoples, a communique issued by the Mozambican parliament reads.

Speaking during a courtesy meeting with the Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matvienko, Esperança Bias said that this aim could be realised by holding bilateral economic-business forums, as well as by participating in economic and trade fairs in favour of the well-being of both peoples.

“We know that Russia has vast knowledge of Mozambique and its resource potential, thanks to our cooperation, which dates back to the national liberation struggle, in addition to knowing how to add value in resources, so we believe it is important to work towards the Russian business community investing in Mozambique,” said Bias, adding that, in addition to exploiting resources, Russia could also transfer knowledge to empower Mozambicans.

According to the Speaker of the Mozambican Parliament, the mission of both parliaments is to continue to develop friendly relations and strengthen cooperation by encouraging commercial and economic exchanges at the level of the private sector.

For Esperança Bias, Mozambique still has areas to be explored, highlighting the investment by Russian companies in the exploitation of heavy sands in Zambézia Province and Rosneft’s participation with a 20% stake in three hydrocarbon research blocks in the A5-B areas offshore Angoche and Z5-C and Z5-D blocks off the Zambezi Delta.

Still in the meeting with her Russian counterpart, Bias saluted Russia for its decision to increase the number of scholarships for Mozambicans from 35 to 70, and suggested that, in addition to being trained at a theoretical level, students could also benefit from a pre-professional internship in Russian companies. This would allow the consolidation of knowledge and the acquisition of practical experience to be later applied in Mozambique.

In the parliamentary domain, Bias emphasised the importance of seeing relations between the two parliaments deepen by increasing the exchange of parliamentary delegations from the two countries, and subsequently invited the Russia-Mozambique Parliamentary Friendship League to visit Mozambique for the exchange of experiences and to solidify inter-parliamentary relations.

The meeting between Bias and Matvienko served for the two parliamentarians to review existing relations of cooperation between Mozambique and Russia, two countries that have potential for cooperation in the areas of defence and security, mineral resources and energy, science and technology, technical and professional education, transport and communications, agriculture, infrastructure, culture and tourism, as well as health and education.

On the occasion, the Esperança Bias also expressed gratitude for the collaboration and agreement between the two countries in international forums, particularly in the agreement regarding reciprocal support in candidacies, such as Mozambique’s recent one for Non-Permanent Member of the Security Council of United Nations.

In her turn, Valentina Matvienko said that the visit of the Mozambican parliamentary delegation to Russia constituted an opportunity to reinforce the relations of cooperation and friendship existing between the peoples and, above all, between the parliaments of the two countries.

“I share the idea that, as parliamentarians, we must continue to work towards the diversification of trade, and I understand that the areas of infrastructure, tourism and energy have enormous potential to achieve this objective,” said Matvienko, noting that, compared to the last year, trade between Mozambique and Russia had improved significantly.

She highlighted the series of agreements signed between Mozambique and Russia, as well as others that are still being studied, saying that, “my appeal is that, as parliaments, we must ensure their implementation”.

“With regard to the increase in commercial and economic exchanges at the level of Russian and Mozambican businesses, I think that our Embassies can organize business meetings for businesspeople from both countries,” Matvienko said, explaining that it would in this way be possible to identify various areas and opportunities for deals of interest to both Russians and Mozambicans.

On the documents still under study by the Mozambican side, Matvienko appealed for the assistance of Mozambique’s Parliamentary Speaker with a view to speeding up the practicality of economic relations between the two countries.

Among other outstanding matters, Matvienko highlighted a memorandum in the sphere of the culture and scientific-technical areas, remarking that the intervention of the Mozambican Parliament was essential to seeing these studies completed as swiftly as possible.

“We are also interested in expanding inter-parliamentary cooperation through friendship groups, as well as at the level of working committees with the involvement of young deputies for the exchange of experiences and knowledge in addition to passing experience on to the younger generation,” Matvienko concluded.

She then invited Speaker Bias to participate in the 4th Eurasian Congress on Gender, to be held next year.

Before meeting Valentina Matvienko, the President of the Mozambican Parliament visited the Moscow Kremlin, n Cathedrals, Armoury Chamber and Diamond Fund.

The President of the Assembly of the Republic was in Russia for a three-day official visit at the invitation of her Russian counterpart and this Wednesday (26) she spoke at the 544th Plenary Session of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly from Russia.

On her visit to Russia, the Parliamentary Speaker was accompanied by the heads of the Frelimo, Renamo and MDM parliamentary benches (Sérgio Pantie, Viana da Silva Magalhães and Lutero Simango), Member of the Standing Commission of the Assembly of the Republic Deputy Ana Rita Sithole, and members of the General Secretariat.