13 Feb 2018

Zimbabwean president, Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa who has been in Botswana on a two-day state visit returned home yesterday (February 13) after successful engagements with President Lt. Gen Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama.

During their official talks, the two leaders had substantive and fruitful discussions on issues of common interest at bilateral, regional and international levels.

Sharing a communique that encapsulates the activities of the state visit, the Minister of International Affairs and Co-operation, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi said President Khama and his Zimbabwean counterpart expressed satisfaction at the bonds of friendship and cordial relations existing between their two countries and further expressed their commitment to work closely together with a view to further enhance these relationships.

Dr Venson-Moitoi, who was speaking soon after the departure of Mr Mnangagwa further observed that the two leaders appreciated the ongoing cooperation in a number of areas such as agriculture, infrastructure, health, energy, immigration, defence and security.

Underlining the undertaking by the two leaders to engage more regularly in order to advance cooperation in the various sectors, the minister said Lt. Gen Dr Khama and Mr Mnangagwa had agreed to establish a Bi-National Commission (BNC) to be co-chaired at the heads of state and government level.

“The BNC will enable high level strategic direction to the existing relations between the two countries. It will replace the agreements establishing the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) between the two countries that was signed on October 30, 1982 and the Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security (JPCDS) that was signed on May 17, 1983,” she noted.

On regional and international issues, Dr Venson-Moitoi said the two presidents expressed satisfaction that generally, conditions of peace and stability continued to prevail in the region.

She, however, hastened to point out that they nonetheless expressed concern at the continued conflicts in some African countries such as South Sudan and Somalia, which continued to threaten peace and security as well as hamper economic development and prosperity in the continent.

Prior to his departure, president Mnangagwa also toured the Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTCB), an exercise that afforded him the opportunity to appreciate the processes that went into diamond handling and processing.

During the tour, Mr Mnangagwa noted how impressed he was with the kind of technology as well as the advanced processing that went into the diamond sorting and processing at DTCB.

He said the fact that diamonds from other countries such as Namibia and Canada were being brought to Botswana for processing was a source of pride for the SADC region and the rest of the African continent as it spoke volumes of the quality that the local diamond processing entailed.

In addition he said while his country had diamonds, unlike Botswana, it did not presently have a policy on diamond mining and processing.

He explained that they were currently formulating the policy, and once in place it would facilitate among others the bringing of diamonds from Zimbabwe to Botswana for processing. ENDS