Mozambique and Zimbabwe on Monday decided to transform their Joint Commission into a Binational Commission, which will not only boost the bilateral cooperation ties between the two countries, but also pave the way for the inclusion of other fields of common interest over the coming years.
The move was announced on Monday in Maputo at a joint press statement by Mozambican Foreign Minister, Veronica Macamo, and her Zimbabwean counterpart Frederick Shava, after face-to-face talks between delegations of the two countries, headed by their respective Presidents, Filipe Nyusi and Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is paying a four day state visit to Mozambique.
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Besides the inception of the binational commission, which will be headed by the two Presidents and will meet annually, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have also signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in the fields of higher education, science and technology and justice as well as for search and rescue operations in the event of a air crash within the territory of either country.
In the field of defence and security, Macamo said that cooperation has been running smoothly and has been focused on building the capacity of the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces (FDS) in the fight against terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
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As for the management of water resources, she indicated that Zimbabwe is an upstream country and shares the Limpopo, Save, Buzi and Pungoe River basins. Mozambique has a great interest in ensuring the supply and control of the necessary quantities of water in both the rainy and dry seasons.
“The two countries have expressed interest in boosting bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, health and higher education,” Macamo said, adding that the two sides are determined to proceed negotiations to establish memoranda in other fields of cooperation.
