Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Toiu, met on Thursday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique, Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas, the two officials agreeing that there are favorable prospects for further capitalizing on the existing potential and encouraging contacts between institutions and companies from the two countries.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agenda focused on ways to develop bilateral relations, EU-Mozambique cooperation and multilateral cooperation.

'Aspects of economic and academic cooperation were addressed as a priority, as well as Romania's contribution to regional security, in the context of marking over 50 years of Romanian-Mozambican diplomatic relations. The discussions highlighted opportunities for developing the partnership between the two states, with an emphasis on intensifying economic and sectoral relations, especially in education, agriculture, digitalization, infrastructure and energy, both in the bilateral action plan and in the broader framework of European Union initiatives. At the same time, the two ministers agreed that there are favorable prospects for further capitalizing on the existing potential and encouraging contacts between institutions and companies in the two countries', the cited source informs.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that the Republic of Mozambique is a country with substantial gas resources, relevant for the entire region, and Romania has engineers and companies with consistent experience in the energy industry.

'The meeting also addressed the cooperation between the European Union and the Republic of Mozambique in the field of peace and security. The Mozambican minister expressed the appreciation of the Government of the Republic of Mozambique for Romania's participation in the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique (EUMAM Mozambique), Romania being one of the countries with a significant presence within it. At the same time, the Mozambican side expressed its gratitude for the constant support provided by Romania in the international efforts to promote stability and security in the Republic of Mozambique, and the Romanian side underlined the importance of supporting consolidated democratic processes,' the press release states.

In turn, the Romanian minister reaffirmed Romania's commitment to continue supporting the European Union's efforts to consolidate peace, security and sustainable development in the Republic of Mozambique and stressed the importance of an integrated approach that combines the security dimension with support for economic development.

Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas thanked Romania for the scholarships offered to students from her country, expressing her belief that they will become true ambassadors of Romania, the Foreign Ministry reports. AGERPRES(RO - writing by: Anamaria Constantin; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)