MAPUTO, Mozambique
The Mozambican High Commissioner to Rwanda, and former Interior Minister, Amade Miquidade, has guaranteed that there are no hidden interests in the cooperation between Mozambique and this central African country, which has a military and police contingent supporting the fight against islamist terrorism in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
Speaking to Mozambican journalists in Kigali, Miquidade said he could not understand why anybody should feel panic-stricken about cooperation with Rwanda extending beyond the military sphere into the economy.
"What is inconvenient about Rwanda, even though it is supporting Mozambique militarily, signing business contracts with us?”, he asked.
Miquidade said he regarded this economic cooperation as both logical and a “win-win” situation. He wished that Mozambican business people would be as proactive as their Rwandan counterparts.
He shrugged off the suggestion that Rwanda was only supporting Mozambique militarily, because of hidden economic interests. “There are lots of countries with whom we have signed agreements, including commercial ones”, he said.
Among the possible economic interests of Rwanda is the establishment of direct air links between Kigali and Mozambique. Rwanda might become the operator of Nacala airport in northern Mozambique, at least for cargo transport.
Nacala airport, inaugurated in 2014, has been a millstone round the neck of the Mozambique Airports Company (ADM), because no international airlines are interested in flying there. To date, the only company that offers scheduled flights to Nacala is Mozambique Airlines (LAM).
As for the Rwandan military support, Miquidade placed it in the context of other struggles for the liberation of southern Africa.
He pointed out that Mozambique had given its support to the struggle against the Ian Smith regime in what was then Rhodesia, and to the battle to overthrow apartheid in South Africa.
"We are not looking for anything other than the security and stability of our peoples and our countries”, stressed Miquidade.
He pointed out that the Rwandan constitution states that Rwanda must provide support wherever there are threats to security and peace and should be present whenever it is necessary to support brothers.
“These were the words we had the opportunity to hear from Rwandan President Paul Kagame, at a meeting with the diplomatic corps where he mentioned the need for African people to unite to create greater cohesion and to fight the evils that weaken some parts of the continent”.
Because of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, Rwanda was acutely aware of the evils of destabilization, Miquidade added.
On the economic side, there was a great deal that Mozambique could export to Rwanda – but for this to become a reality, it needed an “aggressive” business class. Rwanda is a landlocked country, Miquidade said, and so Rwandan businesses are interested in buying fisheries produce from Mozambique.
There are already exports to Rwanda of some Mozambican agricultural products, such as sugar, and Miquidade was sure that Rwanda could also provide a market for Mozambican minerals. - Africa
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