International cooperation between African countries is crucial

Maputo, 16 Aug (AIM) – The Malawian President, Lazarus Chakwera, believes that international cooperation between African countries is crucial for the development of the continent, since no nation on the planet can survive without connectivity with other nations.

According to Chakwera, who was speaking, on Thursday, in Maputo, during a ceremony in which he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in International Cooperation for Development by the Joaquim Chissano University (UJC), flexible international cooperation is a duty of countries towards a prosperous future.

“No nation can stand alone”, he said. “It is an illusion to think that any nation can develop on its own. Even though nations are sovereign, they are not self-sufficient. This is why relations between Mozambique and Malawi are at an all-time high, not only diplomatically, but also in terms of cooperation and development”.

According to Chakwera, Malawi has been working in order to strengthen its ties with other countries in the region, especially Mozambique, in order to boost its economy and development.

“Mozambique has also been pursuing a diplomatic agenda of good relations with other countries”, he said, adding that “I’m grateful for this honor, I want to thank the Mozambican people for their solidarity with Malawi.”

For his part, Arnaldo Massangaie, director of the UJC School of International Relations, said that Chakwera was awarded the honorary doctorate because of his capacity to present a strategic approach to governance in the medium and long term for the development of his country and others in the region.

Citing the findings of a study carried out by researchers from the UJC, he said that Chakwera has contributed significantly to the progress of cooperative relations between Malawi and Mozambique.

“At international level, Malawi was experiencing relations of relative distance from neighboring states and tense cooperation with multilateral financial institutions, which resulted, for example, in the withdrawal of financial support. However, through democratic, accommodating, peacemaking and developmental leadership, President Chakwera was able to formulate a strategic approach to governance that attracted the attention of the population and international partners”, he said.

According to Massangaie, Chakwera was able to lead his country in difficult moments of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.

“Chakwera’s distinction is also substantiated by the results presented by researchers who show that he developed and introduced a policy of co-operation never before seen in the country’s history”, he said.

(AIM)

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