The president of Mozambique's Assembly of the Republic (AR) defended the strengthening of cooperation with Russia, pointing to the extractive industry sector as one of the priority areas.

"We know that Russia has vast knowledge of Mozambique and its resource potential, thanks to our cooperation dating back to the national liberation struggle," said Esperança Bias, quoted by AIM.

Esperança Bias was speaking moments after a meeting with her Russian counterpart, Valentina Matvienko, in Moscow, as part of a three-day working visit she has been on since Tuesday.

According to the president of parliament, Mozambique has enormous potential in the extractive industry, especially heavy sands, mainly in Zambézia province, and the presence of Rosneft, a Russian company, in at least three hydrocarbon exploration blocks.

On the occasion, Bias thanked Russia for its decision to increase the number of scholarships for Mozambicans from 35 to 70, asking that strategies to guarantee pre-professional internships for students in Russian companies also be included in the package.

During the visit, Bias, who is accompanied by a parliamentary delegation, took part in the 544th plenary session of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia.

"I share the idea that, as parliamentarians, we must continue to work towards diversifying trade and I understand that the areas of infrastructure, tourism and energy have enormous potential for achieving this goal," said the chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council (Senate), Valentina Matvienko.

Matvienko, the third-ranking figure in the Russian state, visited Mozambique in May last year as a result of an invitation from the president of the Mozambican parliament.