Mozambique: Relations with partners reset by economic diplomacy – president

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Mozambique: Relations with partners reset by economic diplomacy – president

10:05 CAT | 30 Aug 2024

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Malawi Government / Facebook]

Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi has said that the focus on economic diplomacy implemented by his government has allowed for the normalization of relations with international partners, which were shaken by the “hidden debts” scandal.

“We have unreservedly established trust with international partners, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which was previously undermined by debt that was not transparent,” said Nyusi, in his speech accepting the title of ‘Honorary Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations’, awarded on Wednesday by the University of Malawi.

The hidden debts scandal dates back to 2013 and 2014, when the then minister for finance, Manuel Chang, who has now been convicted by the US justice system, approved state guarantees on loans from Proinducus, Ematum and MAM to the banks Credit Suisse and VTB, without parliamentary approval.

Discovered in 2016, the debts were estimated at around US$2.7 billion (around €2.55 billion), according to figures presented by the Mozambican public prosecutor.

According to Filipe Nyusi, following the “indebtedness beyond transparency standards”, the country has adopted various policies to mobilize “additional resources and more opportunities to finance Mozambique’s development”.

The commitment to intensifying relations of cooperation and friendship with other states also enabled the country to be unanimously elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in January 2023, said Filipe Nyusi.

“In 2015, when we were inaugurated for our first term, we committed ourselves to forging friendly relations, based on great respect,” he said.

The Mozambican president also thanked international support in the fight against terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, highlighting the military aid provided by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Rwanda.

Filipe Nyusi also highlighted the increase in relations with Malawi, the country of the university that awarded him the title of “Doctor Honoris Causa”, as a result of the commitment to cooperation with neighboring countries.

“Malawians are not neighbors, Malawians are brothers, they are us,” declared Nyusi, receiving a huge round of applause from the audience.

The Mozambican head of state began a two-day working visit to Malawi on Wednesday, at the invitation of his counterpart, Lazarus Chakwera, in an agenda that included his presence at the Malawi International Agricultural Fair.

Lazarus Chakwera received the distinction of “Doctor Honoris Causa” from the Joaquim Chissano University of Mozambique on the 15th of this month, during a working visit to Maputo.

Source: Lusa