New Delhi/Maputo/IBNS: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is visiting Mozambique, on Friday, met President Filipe Nyusi during which he conveyed that India is committed to working for enhancing bilateral trade, defence and development cooperation, and people-to-people ties.

In tweets, he said: “Honoured to call on President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Heart warming to hear his fond memories of time in Ahmedabad. Appreciate his deep interest in deepening our cooperation. Valued his guidance on further developing our relationship. In line with PM Modi’s vision, India will respond to Mozambican priorities."

“Committed to work for advancements in trade and investments, defense, development cooperation, health and people-to-people ties.”

Jaishankar co-chaired the 5th India-Mozambique Joint Commission meeting with his Mozambican counterpart Veronica Macamo, during which they took stock of the bilateral cooperation and explored new avenues to intensify it further.

In his statement, Jaishankar said: "India and Mozambique share a long-standing and friendly relationship that is deeply rooted in a historical, cultural, and economic ties. This relationship, for many decades, has been nurtured by the keenest interest shown by our leaders."

"As two developing countries, India and Mozambique have a lot in common, including a shared vision for progress and prosperity. Our bilateral cooperation spans across a wide spectrum of areas, including trade and investment, agriculture, health, education, and defense.

"A review of our bilateral relations was conducted in the Foreign Office Consultations that were held between us in July last 2022. This Joint Commission is therefore, an excellent platform to take stock of the progress made in our ties and to explore new avenues of cooperation. Such institutional mechanisms of interaction form the structure of any bilateral relationship and indeed its regular meeting is central to the growth and steady advancement of our ties," he said.

Jaishankar said a large number of Indian nationals call Mozambique home.

"There is a community here, for a very long time and certainly their role in bridging the economic partnership between our countries is very, very significant. We also have a large Indian investment in this country, today estimated at about $11 billion, largely in the domain of energy and mining.

"And our development partnership which extends to 14 Lines of Credit, to the value of more than $770 million, is another example, a very practical example of South-South cooperation," he said.