Portugal believes suspension of aid to Mozambique will soon end

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Portugal believes suspension of aid to Mozambique will soon end

4:37 CAT | 06 May 2016

The Portuguese government believes that the suspension of aid to Mozambique by the country’s international donors will be brief and that there will be a return “to normality” soon, the Portuguese foreign secretary has told Lusa.

Speaking to Lusa in Maputo, Teresa Ribeiro said that Portugal had “worked hard to ensure this suspension is as short as possible and that normality returns quickly with the previous mechanisms reinstated”.

“And that’s what will happen,” she added.

“In fact, we saw that this message of optimism was also expressed here by the President of the Republic of Mozambique when he said that we need to identify the difficulties and we must also create a credible way to overcome them. And that’s what will be done,” she reiterated.

According to Ribeiro, “Mozambique is very committed, Portugal is also highly committed, and has been striving for a speedy return to normal mechanisms”.

Asked about when the G14 donor group’s decision to suspend aid was taken, the secretary of state replied “very recently”, but said that she did not know the exact date. The decision only gains official status when the Mozambican government is notified by the G14, currently chaired by Portugal.

Ribeiro says that the government of Mozambique had been informed, adding: “A formal communication will follow. This is a G14 decision and will follow the normal diplomatic channels.”

“There is no secret. It seems to us what is important is that the government is duly informed, that it is in possession of this information and, more importantly, that it is clear as to what the next steps are.”

The Secretary of State highlighted the support given by Portugal to Mozambique in the framework of bilateral cooperation, noting that “the previous indicative program” which is “in the final evaluation phase,” involved “around EUR 67 million “.

Teresa Ribeiro highlighted “the mobilization of credit lines either the concessional line or the commercial credit line, in the order of 670 million,” and said that this visit is aimed at “preparing the future.”

“I was here a month ago to initiate the process of negotiating the next credit period with Mozambique,” she said.

According to the Portuguese foreign secretary, “important steps in this direction” were taken in meetings between government representatives during President Rebelo de Sousa’s visit.

“The two governments are working to establish a program that is oriented to very clear mechanisms, with well-designed evaluation mechanisms, so that we have the best possible cooperation,” she added.

Source: Lusa