Russia and Mozambique reaffirmed their defence partnership on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow by Mozambican Foreign Minister Maria Manuela Lucas.
Speaking during her trip, Lucas voiced concern about the war in Ukraine but also commended the “resilience” shown by the Russian people. She noted that Mozambique has been “closely following” the conflict and expressed her country’s strong desire for a peaceful resolution.
Lucas also highlighted the negative impact the war is having on global food security, particularly in Africa. Her remarks came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new round of talks with Russia would take place on Wednesday. Lucas said she hoped the upcoming negotiations would lead to a positive outcome.
During the visit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated his country’s commitment to supporting Mozambique in defence matters.
“We have confirmed our readiness to consider all requests from our friends in Mozambique on issues related to the need to strengthen their defence capability, strengthen their potential in the anti-terrorist sphere,” Lavrov said. “Unfortunately, such threats in Mozambique and in other African countries in general remain”.
Russia and Mozambique have been deepening their military cooperation over the past few years. In 2019, the Mozambican government brought in Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group to help combat a jihadist insurgency in the country.
A German intelligence report since 2020 also revealed that Russia had plans to build a military base in Mozambique, further showing the growing strategic partnership between the two nations.
