24 Aug 2015

Minister of Trade and Industry,  Mr Vincent Seretse has commended the outgoing Mozambiquean High Commissioner for his sterling performance during his tenure.

Speaking at a farewell lunch on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Seretse said Mr Tiago Castigo’s stay in Botswana was not about representing his country and its people only, but extended beyond the sphere of promoting and strengthening mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation.

Minister Seretse said the outgoing High Commissioner laid a solid foundation which he has no doubt would foster the two countries’ bilateral cooperation on the economic front for the mutual benefit of the two countries and its people.

He said as more opportunities become available for business and trade between the two countries, it was critical that the two countries should leverage on each other’s potential.

The minister said he believes that the SADC family and the larger diplomatic community with whom he had the privilege to work with over the last few years hold the same sentiments, and expressed his appreciation for the thriving partnership that he had helped to nurture between Botswana and Mozambique.

For his part, Mr Castigo said during his stay in Botswana, he benefited from the government’s decision to open their embassy in Maputo, and said he witnessed the signing of 11 sectoral memorandum of understandings.

Mr Castigo said in November 2010, a MoU on agriculture covering vaccines was technically finalised, but could not be signed by the two ministers due to their respective agendas. He said they suggested that the memorandum of understanding be transformed into an interim MoU signed by the two permanent secretaries and be operationalised until the ministers were available for the signing.

He said the proposal was accepted by the two ministers which led the MoU into force as an interim instrument.

Mr Castigo said he would be leaving the country at the end of September, and that he would be based at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Maputo.  Ends