India Reiterates Support On AIDS Drugs

Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)July 31, 2003
Posted to the web July 31, 2003 Maputo

The Indian government is prepared to help supply Mozambique, "at zero
cost", with HIV fighting drugs, that help retard the action of this
virus, that causes the lethal disease AIDS.

In his farewel meeting with Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano,
the outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Mozambique, Avinash Chandra
Gupta, said that, in its quality as a producer and exporter of HIV
fighting drugs, "India is willing to help Mozambique to purchase tose
medicines to help face this disease", that affects about 12.2 per
cent of the country's population.

He expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between the
two countries, saying that Mozambican Health Minister Francisco
Songane is to visit India in September, to strengthen those ties even
further.

Besides Health, India has a tradition of cooperation with Mozambique
in different other areas, including Agriculture, technology, and
Labour.

Speaking of cashew, of which India is the largest producer world
wide, Gupta said that during Chissano's visit to India, in May, talks
between the two governments broached, among other matters,
cooperation in this area.

"We want o help Mozambique recover its place in cashew production and
export, but for that end, it will have to modernise its technologies
in this activity", he said

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