Lavrov made the remarks on July 9, 2026, at the start of his official visit to Mozambique, where he held talks with Foreign Minister Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas and President Daniel Chapo.
He said his discussions with President Chapo focused on helping Mozambique strengthen its economic independence and maintain the freedom to choose its own international partners.
Lavrov also expressed support for African countries’ efforts to process their natural resources locally rather than exporting raw materials, saying this would add greater value to their economies.
“In line with this vision, President Chapo shared with us today his ideas on Mozambique’s economic reforms and the opportunities he sees for expanding cooperation between our two countries,” Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister added that he and President Chapo also discussed future security cooperation, particularly in the fight against terrorism.
“Another important area of our future cooperation is counterterrorism. Russia is ready to respond to the request of our Mozambican friends regarding the assistance we can provide in addressing the terrorist threat that still exists in the country’s north,” he stated.
It remains unclear whether Russia intends to deploy its own military forces, send personnel from Russian private military companies, or provide military equipment and other forms of support.
Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado has faced an Islamist insurgency since 2017. In 2021, the country requested military assistance from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to help restore security.
In 2024, SADC withdrew its forces from Cabo Delgado to focus on the conflict involving the AFC/M23 coalition in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, leaving Rwandan troops to continue operations alongside the Mozambican military.
Following SADC’s withdrawal, Mozambique asked Rwanda to increase the number of its troops in Cabo Delgado. Since then, security has continued to improve, allowing many residents to return to their communities and resume their daily lives.
Joint operations by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the Mozambican military have destroyed several permanent bases used by the terrorist group Ansar al-Sunnah. Many militants have been killed, while others have fled into forests or been captured.
Mozambique appears determined to eliminate the remaining Ansar al-Sunnah fighters in the north and sees both Rwanda and Russia as potential partners in achieving that objective.
A similar security partnership exists in the Central African Republic, which has relied on support from both Rwanda and Russia since 2020 to combat armed groups seeking to overthrow its government.
