28 Aug 2016

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Shaw Kgathi, has implored Botswana and Russian governments to explore new critical areas that could advance their bilateral cooperation.

 Botswana and Russia have long standing ties of friendship, mutual respect and cooperation that dated back to 1970.

Speaking at the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Russian Federation Embassy in Botswana, Mr Kgathi, also Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, said Botswana had since reaped immense benefits in diverse areas such as education, military cooperation and law enforcement, among others.

He added that Botswana continued to enjoy support from Russia despite her ranking as an upper middle income country.

Again, he said Botswana continued to receive support from Russia over the years to augment her developmental efforts, especially at the critical time of need immediately after gaining independence in 1966.

Russian ambassador, Mr Victor Sibilev said the embassy had been playing a key role in maintaining burgeoning relations between the two countries.

Mr Sibilev said Russia would, however, remain focused on humanitarian assistance to African nations suffering from crises, armed conflicts, natural disasters and man-made catastrophes. 

He added that Russian would also continue supporting Africa in all areas, bilaterally and multilaterally, including discussions on African issues in the UN, the G20 and BRICS.

“We share the view that problems of African should be solved by Africans themselves without imposing ready-made decisions from abroad or thoughtless copying of extraneous political and economic models,” he said.  ENDS