H.E. Shehan Ratnavale High Commissioner in Pretoria visited Maputo between 9-11 October and presented credentials to H.E. Armando Guebuza concurrently accrediting him as the new High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to The Republic of Mozambique.
At the meeting between H.E. President Guebuza and the High Commissioner mention was made of the many commonalities that exist between the countries and consequent opportunities for co-operation in developmental processes.
Mozambique and Sri Lanka are tropical Indian Ocean States with a shared history of Portuguese colonialism as well as influences from Arabic and Indian migrations. Whilst the Mozambique land area of 801 000 square kilometres is much larger than Sri Lanka it has a comparable population of 23.9Mn. Both countries are reviving their economies after prolonged periods of conflict and are attaining similar growth rates of 7-8%.
During the High Commissioner’s visit he had several ministerial meetings in Maputo which explored possibilities of co-operation in areas such as agriculture, power generation, maritime security, fisheries and education. It is envisaged that further high level visits between the countries will serve to strengthen co-operation and boost trade and investment.
Sri Lanka’s recently appointed Hon. Consul in MozambiqueMr.ValiMomade Hassam also attended the meetings with President Guebuza and the Mozambican ministers. President Guebuza is the present chairman of the 15 Nation South African Development Community.
