India–Mozambique relations are the current and historical relations between

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. India has a high commissioner in

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,0 ...

and Mozambique has a high commissioner in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

History

Arabic geographer Al-Idrisi (12th century) noted Indian settlements at

Sofala Sofala, at present known as Nova Sofala, used to be the chief seaport of the Mwenemutapa Kingdom, whose capital was at Mount Fura. It is located on the Sofala Bank in Sofala Province of Mozambique. It was founded by Somali merchants. This name w ...

and describes that settlements incorporated several towns, including Sayuna, which was; The Indian state of

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

and Mozambique as a whole were both former

Portuguese colonies The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...

Economy

Mumbai-based Videocon Industries is part of a consortium of companies exploring for

hydrocarbons In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or e ...

off the coast of Mozambique's northern

Cabo Delgado Province Cabo Delgado is the northernmost province of Mozambique. It has an area of and a population of 2,320,261 (2017). As well as bordering Mtwara Region in the neighboring country of Tanzania, it borders the provinces of Nampula and Niassa. The r ...

. Videocon intends to import and sell Mozambican natural gas in India. India's coal companies are also closely involved with coal production in Mozambique. A Memorandum of Understanding regarding cooperation in the area of renewable energy was signed during Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi's visit to India on 5 August 2015.

Military cooperation

In September 1986, India was asked to provide technical assistance and security forces to protect the Beira Corridor. Zimbabwe President

Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...

asked for the deployment of a squadron of Indian Air Force Mig-21 aircraft with Indian pilots to provide air cover for the corridor: half the aircraft were to be based in Harare and half in Chimoio, Mozambique. But Rajiv Gandhi decided that deployment of the Indian Air Force to Mozambique was too much of a reversal of India's public stance against the overseas deployment of Indian forces or carried too much risk for India. New Delhi may have decided instead to secretly provide assistance to the Mozambique through providing what has been called ‘a small naval presence’ in Mozambique waters. The two states also work closely on issues of security, especially maritime safety in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

; in June 2011, government ministers met and agreed to work together on the issue. In 2010, the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

rescued a Mozambican vessel from pirates. In 2012, the Indian Navy agreed to commence antipiracy patrols in the Mozambique Channel, apparently without prior consultation with South Africa.

has berthing rights in Mozambique."Naval muscle should fetch economic returns."

The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers: United States Daily California *'' Oakland Tribune'' * ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo) *''San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' Indiana *'' Kokomo Tribune'' *'' Peru Tribune'' * ''The Tri ...

, 20 March 2015. When Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, India diverted three ships of the Indian Navy to provide assistance. The ships INS Sujata, ICGS Sarathi and INS Shardul rescued 192 people and provided medical assistance to 1,381 people. Fourth ship INS Magar joined in by bringing relief materials. Helicopters from the ship made sorties conducting aerial survey helping the disaster management efforts and dropped food, water and medical supplies in cyclone hit areas.

References

{{Bilateralrelations-stub

History

Economy

Military cooperation

See also

References