Today at 15:20
During his diplomatic tour of Africa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba paid the first visit in the history of bilateral relations to the Republic of Mozambique.
In Maputo, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy was welcomed by President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi and held talks with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique Verónica Macamo.
“My visit to Mozambique has three main objectives. The first is to lay the political foundation for the development of mutually beneficial relations between our countries. Second, to discuss the implementation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula. Third, to develop promising areas of economic cooperation,” said Dmytro Kuleba.
The Minister expressed his gratitude to the Mozambican side for providing official consent to the opening of the Ukrainian Embassy in Maputo, Republic of Mozambique. He stressed that the opening of the Embassy takes place in the broader context of the renaissance of Ukrainian-African relations.
Dmytro Kuleba informed the interlocutors in detail about the situation at the frontline and the efforts of the Ukrainian defence forces to repel rocket and drone attacks by the Russian Federation and liberate the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
“No other country in the world wants peace more than Ukraine. Last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed the Peace Formula – a ten-point plan to help establish a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and strengthen global security. We invite Mozambique – especially as a country that currently holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2023-2024 – to join its implementation. This will be a significant contribution to the protection of the principles and objectives of the UN Charter,” the Minister said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also touched upon the issue of food security in Africa, in particular the functioning of the Black Sea Grain Initiative: “Despite the difficult situation in Ukraine amid Russian aggression, we remain a reliable guarantor of food security in the world and on the African continent in particular. Since August 2022, Ukraine has exported more than 30 million tonnes of grain, two-thirds of which were sent to the countries of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.”
Dmytro Kuleba also said that Ukraine stood ready to include Mozambique in the list of countries receiving Ukrainian grain under President Zelenskyy’s humanitarian initiative Grain From Ukraine to support Mozambique’s food security.
At the same time, he stressed the unacceptability of the use by Russia of food as a weapon.
“Russia has no right to endanger the lives of millions of people in Africa and other parts of the world for its own political interests. Moscow must immediately stop obstructing the Black Sea Grain Corridor and unblock access to all Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea so that agricultural products and other Ukrainian goods can reach those who need them most,” the Minister stressed.
The Mozambican side expressed solidarity with Ukraine against the backdrop of the war unleashed by Russia and supported Dmytro Kuleba’s proposal to hold a business forum under the auspices of the ministries of foreign affairs with the participation of Ukrainian and Mozambican businesses. This event will help to develop joint projects in the areas of trade, agriculture, food industry, information technology, digital transformation, and pharmaceuticals.
Read also: What the Israeli security model provides for Ukraine — advantages and risks
