Africa-Press – Mozambique. Portugal’s prime minister will meet with the Angolan president in Luanda on Monday morning and with the Mozambican president in Maputo that afternoon, before paying a Christmas visit to Portuguese troops in Mozambique.
António Costa’s meetings with presidents João Lourenço, in Luanda, and Filipe Nyusi, in Maputo, will take place as part of his trip to Mozambique to visit the national military forces deployed there over the Christmas period.
“As he has done every year, where he has visited Portuguese military personnel deployed abroad during the Christmas period, António Costa will be in Maputo next Monday, 18 December,” the Portuguese government said.
In Luanda, on his way to Mozambique, the Portuguese prime minister will only make a short stopover, but he will still meet with the Angolan president early in the morning at the presidential palace.
Shortly after arriving in Maputo in the early afternoon, António Costa will be received by Filipe Nyusi at the presidential palace.
After this meeting with the Mozambican head of state, according to the Portuguese government, the trip will centre on military matters, with a visit to the Mozambique Navy command depot.
Then the prime minister will meet with the National Forces deployed in Mozambique. During the meeting, a video call is planned with the military personnel deployed in Nampula and Chimoio.
In September last year, António Costa made an official visit to Mozambique, when he assured that Portugal would continue to support this country in the fight against terrorism, while the Mozambican president emphasised solidarity and cooperation.
In one of his speeches, the Portuguese prime minister said that “as long as necessary, Portugal will continue to support the Mozambican authorities in a concrete way, in an approach that guarantees the security of Mozambican territory, the humanitarian response to those who need it and the development of the population affected by the conflict”.
“We were on your side from the first moment and that’s where we want to continue to be, side by side, in the fight against terrorism,” he said.
Also in Maputo, the leader of the Portuguese government expressed Portugal’s willingness to send more equipment to help the Mozambique armed forces.
“There is that availability. Mozambique knows what our availability is. We need to know if our availability is in line with Mozambique’s needs,” said António Costa, during his visit to the Portuguese troops at the Marine School and to the European Union training mission to train Mozambique’s troops to fight terrorism at the Independent Marines Company in Catembe (on the south bank of Maputo).
In March 2022, Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, also visited the military base in Chimoio, Manica province (centre of the country) – one of the two where the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) led by Portugal is taking place – and another training base, in Katembe, on the outskirts of Maputo.
This two-year mission with military trainers responds to the Mozambican government’s request for help in training 1,100 Mozambican officers, sergeants and soldiers – six companies of commandos and five of marines – to fight in Cabo Delgado.
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