Lisbon, July 4, 2025 (Lusa) - The prime minister announced on Thursday that Portugal would host the Portuguese-Mozambican summit on 8 and 9 December, arguing that the two countries have leaders at the beginning of their terms who are capable of breathing new life into cooperation.
Luís Montenegro was speaking after receiving the President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, in São Bento, afer Chapo had met with the president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, at the Belém Palace.
In his brief speech after the bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister stated that Portugal’s priority is to establish “an inclusive political dialogue with the president of Mozambique, to strengthen political, institutional, cultural and economic cooperation ties”.
“We are in the first phase of the political cycle, which began with the election of President Daniel Chapo, and we are also in the first phase of the political cycle that began with the re-election of the current Portuguese Government. Therefore, we are both in a position to breathe new life into the relationship between the governments, between the countries and between the peoples of Portugal and Mozambique,” said Luís Montenegro.
In this context, the prime minister announced that, during his conversation with Daniel Chapo, they decided to hold the 6th Summit between Portugal and Mozambique.
“We had the opportunity to schedule it for 8 and 9 December tentatively. This desire to give new impetus to our relations finds its best expression in our decision to resume these bilateral summits,” he added.
According to the prime minister, at this summit, which Portugal will host, the two countries will seek to “develop cooperation instruments in areas such as health, education, mobility, security and defence.
From an economic point of view, he promised that his government “will do everything to create the appropriate instruments to develop more trade and investment.”
“We have around 400 Portuguese companies in Mozambique, and we desire that they can have an even higher turnover and that more can join them,” he said.
In the same context, he alluded to the political crisis that erupted after the Mozambican presidential elections and left the message that reforms in Mozambique are “a mainstay” for developing bilateral economic cooperation.
"We have been following the entire process of political stability and the implementation of reforms and transformations in Mozambique, which are a mainstay for us to be able to undertake this strengthening of economic cooperation and business investment.
This is what could boost the continuation of many of the sectors of activity that have marked this presence and enable us to open up new sectors and new opportunities,” he stressed.
With Daniel Chapo at his side, he also left a message about Portugal’s cooperation and solidarity with Mozambique in its fight against terrorism in the Cabo Delgado region.
“Portugal remains strongly committed to supporting the Mozambican state politically and financially to promote stability and counter the rise in terrorism.
We are monitoring efforts to overcome the situation in Cabo Delgado, both directly and bilaterally, and at the level of the European Union, where we have been insistent in defending the continuity of the respective financial support,” added Luís Montenegro.
PMF/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
