Mozambique was yesterday elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. It is the first time that Maputo occupies the seat and received all 192 possible votes.

Filipe Nyusi promised to be the voice of Africa in the Security Council, where he will spare no efforts to defend dialogue and multilateralism.

Mozambique was this Thursday unanimously elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. In a speech to the nation, in reaction to the announcement of the voting results, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi promised to be "the voice of African countries seeking to build a peaceful and prosperous future for all.

Quoted by RFI, the Mozambican head of state assured that during his two years in office, Maputo will spare no efforts to defend dialogue and multilateralism for world peace.

"We are encouraged by the fact that throughout the construction of our nation and the foundations of our foreign policy we have always been guided by principles that privilege, among others, the defense of the national interest, the respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, the primacy of the policy of peace and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, as well as the advocacy of multilateralism. These are principles and rules that are clearly embodied both in our Constitution and in the Charter of the United Nations, and that will always be respected by Mozambicans. This is the posture that serves and will always serve as a compass for our team in the deliberations and negotiations that will take place over the next two years in the Security Council.

In his speech, Nyuse recalled the national experience in the peaceful resolution of conflicts, through dialogue: "Our country has a history, a record, and experience in advocating conflict mitigation measures and above all in promoting negotiated solutions for peace. In this sense our commitment remains unwavering. Mozambique is in a unique position, since it brings with it its own experience in building peace and security. That is, the culture of dialogue. The Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement is a recent example of how peace can be achieved through national ownership, processes and dialogue."

This is the first time that Mozambique occupies the seat of a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The country received all 192 votes possible.

The election puts the country "on the map of world diplomacy and raises to high levels, the good name and international reputation of Mozambique and Mozambicans," added Nyusi.