A protocol to that effect was formalised in the Cuban capital Havana on Wednesday by the Speaker of the Mozambican parliament Veronica Macamo and her Cuban counterpart Esteban Lazo Hernandez.
Under the protocol, the two parties undertake to develop cooperation programmes covering the exchange of parliamentary delegations, the consultation and agreement of common positions in international parliamentary organisations, and the rebuilding of parliamentary friendship groups between the two nations.
Furthermore, provision is made for information sharing, developing human resources through the exchange of experiences, and other measures to promote solidarity between the two countries.
Veronica Macamo told members of parliament at the Cuban National Assembly that the accord will build on the already close relationship between the two parliaments and peoples and strengthen the legislative capacity of the parliamentary administrations.
Esteban Lazo noted that there is also an enormous potential for cooperation in areas such as agriculture, tourism, transport and communications, energy, and mineral resources.
Prior to the signing ceremony, the two parliamentary leaders and their delegations met to discuss various political, social, and economic issues.
During the meeting, Veronica Macamo delivered a message of solidarity to the people of Cuba who have been affected by the tornado which hit the island on 27 January.
The tornado left four dead and around two hundred injured.
Macamo also congratulated Cuba on its reform process, which will lead to a national referendum on a proposed new constitution.
This will be held on 24 February.
She pointed out that “we are aware that the project for a new constitution is the result of profound and broad debate involving all Cubans”, adding “we take this opportunity to highlight the fact that the Cuban community living in various provinces in Mozambique have participated in this process”.
Relations between Mozambique and Cuba were established shortly after the foundation of the former’s liberation movement Frelimo in 1962 and greatly expanded after Mozambican independence from Portugal in 1975.
In the late 1970s, the government of Samora Machel sent 3,700 young Mozambican for training in Cuba in various fields, at a time when Mozambique was desperately short of trained staff.