Mozambique is located in southern Africa, and it shares land borders with Tanzania to the north, Swaziland and South Africa to the south, the Indian Ocean to the east, and Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to the west. The airports and eastern border are open as well as the rest of the borders. Drugs, people, and illegal wildlife products all flow more easily over these permeable borders. The constant ebb and flow of people and products bring with it criminal elements and companies, even as the lack of opportunity keeps most legitimate traffic from staying in Mozambique permanently. Friendliness and collaboration with neighboring states are central to Mozambique’s foreign policy. Positive international relations are the norm. Countless nations and organizations contribute to Mozambique’s development, and the country is a member of many more.
Foreign policy
Mozambique’s foreign policy is becoming more realistic, notwithstanding the continued importance of old allegiances from the independence fight. Mozambique’s foreign policy rests on two pillars:
- Cordial relations with its neighbors.
- Strong links to its development partners.
The fight for majority rule in Rhodesia and South Africa, superpower competition, and the Cold War all had an impact on Mozambique’s foreign policy throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Rhodesia’s leadership, led by Ian Smith, took overt and covert steps to destabilize the country after Mozambique decided to implement UN sanctions and deny that country access to the sea. South Africa’s apartheid state kept funding the instability in Mozambique even after a change of government in neighboring Zimbabwe in 1980.
Although the 1984 Nkomati Accord’s primary objective of cutting off South African funding for Renamo was not met, it did pave the way for official diplomatic relations to develop between the governments of Mozambique and South Africa. Following apartheid’s demise in South Africa, full diplomatic contacts were established in October 1993, marking a turning point in the process. Mozambique’s relationships with its neighbors, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania, remain strong despite periodic tensions.
Diplomatic relations with western countries
Certain western countries, especially the Scandinavian ones, provided Mozambique with substantial aid in the years immediately following its independence. Nonetheless, Moscow and its allies eventually became Mozambique’s principal economic, military, and political patrons, and the country’s foreign policy reflected this link. Mozambique joined the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in 1984, signaling the beginning of a period of transition in this regard. As Soviet help dried up, aid from the West stepped in, particularly from the Scandinavian countries, the United States, the Netherlands, and the European Union. With its prominent participation in the peace process, Italy continues to be well-known in Mozambique. There is a clear impact on Mozambique’s economy from Portuguese investors, hence relations with the country’s former colonial ruler, Portugal, are complicated and significant.
Program aid partners
Most of Mozambique’s financial support comes from the country’s Programme Aid Partners (African Development Bank, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the World Bank). In accordance with the MOU signed in 2009, these organizations provide financial backing for the national action plan to combat poverty and advance economic growth in the country. To show its appreciation, Mozambique has pledged to fight poverty, promote democracy, and protect human rights. Overall, the Programme Aid Partners contributed $455 million to the budget in 2009. Another $361 million will be spread out over the next five years to cover the costs of various development initiatives. Bilateral agreements with Mozambique set the contribution levels for each country.
Diplomatic relations with China
Mozambique’s relationship with China has deepened in recent years, with Beijing providing millions of dollars in long-term loans. Several nations and non-profits provide Mozambique with critical emergency aid in the form of food and reconstruction supplies through the United Nations and other international organizations. To alleviate poverty and boost economic growth, Mozambique and the Millennium Challenge Corporation inked a US$500 million agreement in 2009. Among the United Nations and other international organizations, Mozambique is considered a moderate member of the African Bloc and a member of the Non-Aligned Movement. Mozambique is a member of the Southern African Development Community and the African Union (SADC). To gain more international support and to appease the country’s sizable Muslim population, the government joined the Organization of the Islamic Conference (now the Organization of Islamic Cooperation) as a full member in 1994. Mozambique, another African nation with a large English population, joined the Commonwealth in 1996. Mozambique established strong links with other Lusophone governments the same year it joined and presided as the first CPLP President.
