Mozambique, Thailand to strengthen parliamentary relations

MAPUTO, July 30 (TNA) - Mozambique and Thailand have agreed to strengthen parliamentary relations through an exchange of more visits of their lawmakers, as well as through closer work of their parliaments and further development of bilateral ties in relevant areas. The agreement was reached in Maputo, the capital of the Republic of Mozambique, on Monday (local time) during talks between Mozambican Parliament President Veronica Nantaniel Macamo and visiting Thai Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at the Mozambican Parliament. Macamo said she, as a female Mozambican parliament president, welcomed Yingluck, Thailand's first female prime minister, and told the Thai premier that her ongoing trip to Mozambique will strengthen relations between the two countries in every field. On her part, Yingluck told Macamo that she was honoured to become first Thai prime minister to visit Mozambique, and that Thailand had signed seven agreements with Mozambique during her earlier meeting with Mozambican President Armando Emilio Guebuza. Mozambique and Thailand have enjoyed warm relations for more than 24 years and the newly-concluded pacts cover bilateral cooperation in agriculture, energy, public health, fishery and human resources development. Currently, the Thai Parliament enjoys close relations with its counterparts in about 60 countries globally. The Thai prime minister is on a six-day official visits to Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda in the growing Eastern African region, from July 28-August 2, 2013. (TNA)