High Commissioner presents credentials to Queen Elizabeth II
London, 9 Jun (AIM) - Mozambique's new High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Her Excellency Albertina Maria Domingos Mac Donald, on 8 June presented her credentials to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London.
Speaking afterwards at a vin d'honneur, the High Commissioner lauded the long-standing bonds of cooperation, friendship, and mutual understanding between Mozambique and the United Kingdom. She noted that since Mozambican independence in 1975, “Mozambique has benefited greatly from the cooperation with the United Kingdom, both bilaterally and multilaterally, as well as in the context of the Commonwealth”.
Her Excellency added that “our bilateral cooperation involves several important social and economic areas with great impact on the lives of the Mozambican people, of which I can highlight agriculture and rural development; water and sanitation; health and food security, and clean energy. We are growing our trade and investment relations. We share good governance values and we cooperate on defence and security matters that are also of common interest”.
The High Commissioner stressed that “cooperation with the United Kingdom has highlighted the importance of harnessing the capacities of our youth and girls, the role of vocational training in job creation, the impact of improved access to financing mechanisms for self-employment, as well as the effectiveness of measures to address gender-based violence.
She concluded, “our mission in the UK will continue to seek to strengthen the political, economic and cultural relations forged in these 46 years of friendship between Mozambique and the UK, driven by a high-level partnership to benefit both countries and peoples”.
In his reply, the Queen's representative, the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, Alistair Harrison, stressed the importance that Her Majesty attached to UK-Mozambique relations which he described as full, rich, and excellent.
Harrison went on to explain that he has been and admirer of Mozambique since 1966 when, as a child, he watched the 1966 World Cup finals on television where he was enchanted by the skills of the Mozambican born soccer star Eusebio. He added that he had the privilege of seeing in person Eusebio play for Benfica against Newcastle United in 1971.
The United Kingdom has taken several steps to further strengthen relations with Mozambique. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Katherine Fletcher MP as his Special Envoy to Mozambique, and there are plans to hold a “Mozambique Week” in the UK.
(AIM)