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India-Mozambique Joint Commission Meeting (November 29, 2018)

November 29, 2018

  • The India-Mozambique Joint Commission on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation held its 4th session on 29th November 2018 in Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan, New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the External Affairs Minister of India, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique, Mr. Jose Condungua Antonio Pacheco. The session was held in a warm and cordial atmosphere.
  • The Joint Commission reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, and noted the excellent Government-to-Government ties, strong business exchanges, growing trade and investment ties, vibrant development partnership, and long-standing people-to-people links between the two countries. It noted that bilateral high-level exchanges had acquired a new momentum since the visit of the President of Mozambique in August 2015 and the return visit of the Prime Minister of India in July 2016; strengthened further during other recent Ministerial level visits, including that by Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, General (Dr.) V.K. Singh (Retd) in February 2018. India expressed satisfaction at the on-going peace process in Mozambique.
  • The Joint Commission expressed satisfaction at the growing trade and investment links between the two countries, and noted that in 2017 India was the largest destination for Mozambican exports, accounting for about 35% of its total export revenue. The two sides also reviewed the large Indian investments in coal and natural gas mining in Mozambique, noting that Mozambique was among the largest destinations for Indian outward investment in Africa. They discussed ways to expedite progress of these investments, while noting the potential for greater Indian investment in areas like agriculture, agro-industry, infrastructure, mining, energy, and tourism.
  • The Joint Commission appreciated that the India-Mozambique development partnership, particularly through Lines of Credit and grant-assistance, is helping to enhance the capacity of Mozambican institutions in areas like food security, small & medium enterprises, electricity, roads, drinking water availability, solar energy and information technology, etc. It appreciated the recent progress in implementation of important Indian projects such as the Tica-Buzi Highway being funded through an Indian credit-line of about 150 million US Dollars, and also other major LOC projects in areas of electricity and housing. It noted the special contribution of Indian educational and training scholarships in enhancing the capacity of Mozambican youth. Both sides agreed to further deepen and widen the ambit of their development cooperation.
  • The Joint Commission appreciated the growing defence cooperation between Mozambique and India, and the potential such collaboration offers for enhancing security in the Indian Ocean Region. In particular, the Commission highlighted the importance of working together to prevent non-traditional threats like smuggling, terrorism, piracy, poaching, etc.
  • An MoU was signed between the National Archives of India and the National Documentation and Information Center of Mozambique, for enhancing cooperation in the area of archival management. The two Governments agreed to consider new bilateral agreements for promoting cooperation in defence & security, judicial and consular systems, traditional medicine, and cultural exchanges.
  • The understandings and decisions of the Joint Commission were concluded in the form of Agreed Minutes signed by the two Ministers.

New Delhi
November 29, 2018


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