The head of European diplomacy revealed in an interview to Portuguese radio Renascença that the EU is considering sending 200 to 300 military trainers to Mozambique. Josep Borrell, however, admitted that negotiations are slow.

On the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council that met in Brussels last Thursday (06.05), the defense ministers of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell guaranteed the sending of an EU military training mission to Mozambique, in response to the country's request for assistance.

In an interview to the Portuguese organ, Renascença, published this Monday (10.05), the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy reveals that the European Union is considering sending an initial 200 to 300 military trainers to Mozambique.

Borrell also admitted that the negotiation process is being slow in Brussels.

"Training is no small thing. Armies need to be trained. We are doing a lot of training in Africa and I hope the member states will agree to do it in Mozambique," he explained.

Present at the meeting in Brussels, João Cravinho, Portuguese Defense Minister, confirmed that Portugal may contribute with military personnel up to 50% of the EU mission. However, Borrell said in the same interview that the size of the Portuguese participation is still being defined.

"Whether it's with half or with a third, I don't know. But it is clear that Portugal has a very important role to play as a driver and participant."

What is being considered for Mozambique is a non-executive mission, which will not be located in the zone where there are conflicts, and will be dedicated essentially to the training of Mozambican special forces, the Portuguese Defense Minister clarified last week.