Mozambique Head of Delegation at the just concluded second session of Mozambique-Uganda Joint Permanent Commission (JPC), His Excellency Pascoal Pedro João Ronda, Minister of Interior of the Republic of Mozambique, signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ugandan Government, represented by Hon John Mulimba, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Cooperation, waiving visa requirements for Ugandan Citizens travelling to the Republic of Mozambique.
The MoU Signing ceremony took place at the conclusion of the four days Joint Permanent Commission meeting between the two countries, held at Mestil Hotel in Kampala on Thursday. Among other MoUs signed by the two countries include; cooperation in protection of wildlife, and Veterans and Combatants Management.
“The Ministers welcomed the conclusion of the Memoranda of Understanding in; Veterans and Combatant Management, protection of wildlife, and mutual exemption of visas for holders of diplomatic, service or official, and ordinary passports”, reads a joint communique released shortly after conclusion of the meeting.
The two Delegations, in addition, expressed their commitment towards the promotion of peace and security at the regional and international levels, support of multilateral rules-based order, as well as supporting and promoting sustainable development.
They directed the technical officials to ensure full implementation of the concluded MoUs, and to fast-track the finalization of the exchanged Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) and the MoUs of; Public Works and Road Infrastructure Development, defence cooperation, Trade Cooperation, Agriculture (Crop and Animal Husbandry), Fisheries/Aquaculture, Mineral Resources and Energy, Oil and Gas Cooperation, and ICT by December 2024.
“They expressed their mutual satisfaction with the strong historical bond between the two countries and emphasized their determination to further strengthen and expand cooperation in various emerging areas”, adds the Joint communique.
In his address to participants at the meeting, Hon. Mulimba said:
“This Session marks yet another milestone in the long-standing and historic relations marked by not only a rich history of brotherhood and solidarity but also driven by a common vision for peace, stability, and development in our region”.
He expressed gratitude to His Excellency Pascoal Pedro João Ronda, and his delegation for honoring the invitation and cordial deliberations at the 2nd Session of the Uganda-Mozambique JPC.
“Uganda is committed to sharing expertise in the areas of Wildlife conservation, defense and information sharing to contribute to the nation building and sectoral development of our brotherly countries. Uganda also hopes to tap into the Mozambican expertise in the gas sector and shall support each other in all these endeavors”, he added.
The Joint Permanent Commission meetings were held in accordance with the directives of their Excellences President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi.
The directives were issued in Entebbe on 27th April 2022, where their Excellences reaffirmed the importance of the Joint Permanent Commission, as a framework for deepening bilateral relations between the two countries, and directed their Ministries of Foreign Affairs to convene the next JPC in Kampala to, deepen bilateral cooperation in the areas of common interest, as laid out in Article 3 of the Framework Agreement of Cooperation between Uganda and Mozambique signed in 2018.
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