The Mozambican government has not yet taken a position on whether to recognise Kosovo, the former Serbian province that declared its independence 10 days ago.
“We shall wait for the appropriate moment,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Henrique Banze, cited in Wednesday’s issue of the daily newsheet “Diario de Noticias”.
“It’s a very sensitive matter and like all matters of this kind, it demands a lot of thought,” said Banze. “Our government will work so that it may make the most appropriate decision in this case.”
To date, 25 countries have formally recognised Kosovo. A further six have initiated the recognition procedure, but are awaiting ratification by parliament or some other top level institution. Among the 31 countries are 14 of the European Union’s 25-member countries, the United States, Australia, Switzerland, Norway and several Moslem countries.
So far the only African country to have recognised Kosovo is Senegal.
Kosovo was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, but was absorbed into Serbia in 1912, during the First Balkan War.
Under the federal Yugoslav government established by Josip Tito after the World War II, Kosovo was granted a high degree of autonomy, not far short of being a full republic in the federation.
