30 Jan 2019

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi January 29 received letters of credence from Belgium, Chad and Chile envoys.

In an interview following the presentation, Belgium’s ambassador Mr Didier Vanderhasselt expressed happyiness with the outstanding bilateral relations existing between his country and Botswana.

Belgium, he said, highly valued its relationship with Botswana and regarded her as a special friend despite the geographical locations.

The relationship, he noted, was built on shared bonds and cooperation in international organisations such as the United Nations as well as a shared commitment to democracy, respect for human rights, peace and security. He said the two countries also shared commitment to economic and social development together with an international trade system that benefited both nations.

Mr Vanderhasselt indicated that there were viable opportunities to enhance mutual knowledge and understanding between the two countries through the establishment of political consultations and bilateral cooperation.

The envoy said the two countries had excellent economic relations particularly in the diamond industry as Belgium was a major rough diamond hub with 80 per cent of the world’s rough diamonds being processed in the country.

Mr Vanderhasselt said there was therefore an excellent base for both countries to work on enhancing their relations in the mining sector.

He said there was need for the two counties to open political dialogue on matters of international and regional security as Belgium was now a member of the United Nation Security Council.

Ambassador Vanderhasselt said Belgium had a lot to offer to assist Botswana in her drive to diversify the economy.

He said the establishment of economic hubs by the Botswana government was clear testimony that the country was on the right path to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on the mining sector.

Being a landlocked country that linked many countries in the region, he said, Botswana should use its location to its advantage to be a regional transport hub.

Chad ambassador, Mr Sagour Youssourf said his country was actively looking to deepen and broaden its links with other African nations by expanding its diplomatic representation and engaging them to support peace and security in Africa.

He said the two countries had a lot of similar economic and investment interests that could create employment and economic development for great benefit to both countries.

For his part, Chilean ambassador Mr Francisco Hurtado said Botswana and Chile had a lot to learn from each other as they were both striving to diversify their economies from mining to manufacturing.

He said the two countries had in the past years signed and implemented various memoranda of understanding in the fields of politics, cooperation as well as on trade and investment, all of which would nurture the bilateral relations.

All the three envoys will be based in South Africa.ENDS