Maputo — Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Thursday declared that diplomacy should play a strategic role in defending Mozambican interests and projecting Mozambique in the world.
Speaking as he was swearing into office the new Presidential Adviser on Diplomatic Matters, Carlos Rodrigues da Costa, and the curator of the Presidential Museum, Jeronimo Nhamunze, Chapo stressed the importance of preserving institutional memory in the consolidation of the Mozambican state.
He declared that Costa and Nhamunze are taking office "in an international context marked by profound transformations and complex challenges that demand from States strategic vision, institutional capacity and clear-minded leadership'.
The world, he said, "is living in a phase characterised by persistent geopolitical tensions, redefinition of strategic alliances, and intensification of great power competition'.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Added to this were "the growing impacts of climate change and the challenges linked to global food and energy insecurity', he said.
Other factors such as terrorism and violent extremism, continued Chapo, "are putting to the test the capacity of states to protect their citizens, defend sovereignty and promote sustainable development'.
"Given this international framework in rapid transformation', said the President, "it is becoming ever more evident that diplomacy is a central instrument for the affirmation of the State, for defending national interests, and promoting the peace, cooperation and progress we all long for'.
He told Costa that his job demands "absolute loyalty to the Constitution of the Republic, to the State and to the values which guide our Mozambican nation', as well as "strategic vision, analytical rigour and deep knowledge of regional and international dynamics'.
In performing his duties, Chapo added, Costa should advise the President on the conduct of foreign policy, accompany developments in the international system, and strengthen the institutional coordination between the Presidency, the Foreign Ministry and other State bodies.
Chapo also stressed the role of the Presidential museum in the preservation of institutional memory and the promotion of civic education.
"The museum is not just an exhibition space', he said. "It is a place of memory, of civic education, of citizenship and of the affirmation of national identity'.
The two new appointments, he added, "reaffirm the commitment of the State to the strategic projection of Mozambique, and to the preservation of the institutional memory that sustains national independence'.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
