Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Mozambican counterpart President Filipe Nyusi jointly condemned acts of terror being perpetrated in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Manila and Sofala as they undermine efforts towards peace and development.
President Mnangagwa, who chairs the SADC organ on politics, defence and security cooperation left Harare on Thursday morning for a one-day working visit to Mozambique where he held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart President Filipe Nyusi who is the deputy chairperson of SADC.
A joint communique issued after the meeting outlines a number of issues that the two leaders discussed, among them the security situation in Cabo Delgado province and parts of Manica and Sofala. Cabo Delgado is home to Africa’s three largest liquid natural gas projects namely the Mozambique LNG project, total and Rovuma LNG project.
However, local communities are now facing increasing violence with the armed groups reportedly carrying out attacks, murders and destruction of public and private property. The leaders strongly denounced the acts which undermine efforts towards peace and development.
On another note, the two leaders were satisfied with bilateral cooperation in the political, defence and security fields which they both agreed have progressed positively and within the framework of current legal instruments.
They also shared and exchanged views on the political, economic and social situation prevailing in the two countries, the southern African region and the world at large.
Joint actions to strengthen the political, economic and social cooperation between the two friendly nations were also outlined during the meeting.
The SADC region has remained relatively calm and the two leaders stressed the need for greater cooperation in addressing challenges arising from the less favourable macro-economic environment.
The two leaders made an appeal to multilateral and other financial institutions to continue to support countries in the region to cope with Covid-19 and its harmful socio-economic bearing.
A call was also made by the two leaders for the immediate lifting of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the west and its allies so as to enable the country to focus on development without any hindrances.
The two southern African countries are fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, with Mozambique having recorded 76 positive cases of Covid-19 as of this Wednesday and no deaths, while Zimbabwe has recorded 40 positive cases, 5 recoveries and four deaths.
President Mnangagwa and his counterpart welcomed progress achieved in the implementation of their governments’ programmes.
Zimbabwe and Mozambique are committed to upgrading the framework of bilateral cooperation from the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation to a Bi-National Commission, as the two countries move to strengthen economic ties.
The two leaders pledged to hold the next meeting of the joint permanent commission on cooperation as soon as the current threat brought about by Covid-19 allows, but bilateral interaction at all levels using information communication technologies like teleconferencing will be carried out.
Harare and Maputo are exploring ways of deepening economic relations and in the meeting the two heads of state undertook to work together to harness the potential in the two countries to roll out concrete projects that will involve private sectors from both countries.
President Nyusi extended an invitation to President Mnangagwa for a state visit as soon as the situation allows and president Mnangagwa accepted the invitation.
President Mnangagwa was accompanied by Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs Cde Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri and were joined in the meeting by Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Mozambique retired lieutenant general Douglas Nyikayaramba and staff from the president’s office.
