Maputo — Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday expressed an interested in continuing to cooperate with Mozambique in rail transport, and a new agreement is in sight.
Jaishankar was speaking in Maputo during a visit to the headquarters of the Mozambican port and rail company, CFM, where he held a courtesy meeting with Mozambican Transport Minister, Mateus Magala.
“India is prepared for several lines of development cooperation with Mozambique’, said the Minister. “The railways are a component, but there is also the component of water resources, and the building of roads and bridges. As a country, we are prepared for cooperation, but our philosophy rests on the priorities of the partner’.
He added that, in planned meetings with his Mozambican counterpart, Veronica Macamo and with President Filipe Nyusi, he would see what other opportunities for cooperation exist. “The government of India is open to other forms of cooperation with Mozambique’, he said.
Mateus Magala guaranteed that the Mozambican government will shortly begin negotiations for a new cooperation agreement with India.
He thought that a rail agreement could “meet our needs to link our country from north to south’.
The matter had been discussed with Jaishankar, who was very willing to step up railway cooperation, and assist in the transition to electric trains.
India has also offered Mozambique ten locomotives and 90 passenger carriages.
