Still on Monday afternoon, the Portuguese prime minister will meet with the Mozambican head of state, in Maputo, before the Christmas visit to Portuguese troops in Mozambique.
These meetings between António Costa with presidents João Lourenço, in Luanda, and with Filipe Nyusi, in Maputo, will take place as part of his trip to Mozambique, to visit the national military forces deployed there during the Christmas period.
"Similar to what he has done annually, during this Christmas season, he has visited Portuguese military personnel deployed on missions abroad, António Costa will be in Maputo next Monday, December 18th", says the Portuguese executive.
In Luanda, on his way to Mozambique, the Portuguese Prime Minister will only make a short stopover, but even so, he will meet with President João Lourenço early in the morning at the Presidential Palace.
Shortly after arriving in Maputo, in the early afternoon, António Costa is received by Filipe Nyusi at the Presidential Palace.
After this meeting with the Mozambican head of state, according to the Portuguese Government, the trip focuses on military issues, with a visit to the Mozambican Navy command warehouse.
Then, the prime minister will meet with the National Forces Detached in Mozambique. During the meeting, it is planned to hold a video call with the military deployed in Nampula and Chimoio.
In September last year, António Costa made an official visit to Mozambique, on which occasion he assured that Portugal would continue to support this country in the fight against terrorism, while the Mozambican President of the Republic highlighted solidarity and cooperation.
In one of his interventions, the Portuguese Prime Minister stated 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 in need and the development of populations affected by the conflict".
"We have been on your side from the beginning and that is where we want to continue to be, side by side, in the fight against terrorism", he assured.
Still in Maputo, the leader of the Portuguese executive expressed Portugal's willingness to send more equipment to help the Armed Forces of Mozambique.
"There is this availability. Mozambique knows what our availability is. It is necessary to know whether our availability meets the needs that Mozambique has", highlighted António Costa, during the visit he then carried out to the Portuguese troops at the Marine Corps School and the European Union training mission to train Mozambican troops to combat terrorism at the Independent Rifle Company, in Catembe (on the south bank of Maputo).
In March 2022, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was also at the military base in Chimoio, Manica province (center of the country) – one of the two where the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) takes place ) led by Portugal – and at 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 to prepare 1,100 Mozambican officers, sergeants and soldiers – six companies of commandos and five of marines – to fight in Cabo Delgado.
