07 Aug 2023

Botswana attaches great importance to excellent relations that subsist between countries, Minister for State President, Mr Kabo Morwaeng, has said.

Welcoming Namibia’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Peya  Mushelenga, in Gaborone yesterday(August 7), Mr Morwaeng said Botswana and Namibia enjoyed strong bonds of friendship, solidarity and fruitful cooperation, which predated establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1990.

“These are borne out of their close historical, political, economic, social and cultural ties as well as their commitment to common values of democracy and good governance, which dates back to Namibia liberation struggle days,” Mr Morwaeng told the Nambian delegation that is on a benchmarking  mission.

The bilateral relations, Minister Morwaeng added, were further nurtured by recent interactions by presidents of both countries.

He said it was only natural, therefore, that the two countries should meet at ministerial level to ponder on how best to serve their respective populace.

Mr Morwaeng said it was important for the two countries to meet regularly and share notes on how best to improve service delivery .

 Dr Mushelenga, who paid a courtesy call on Minister Morwaeng, said Namibia and Botswana shared similarities in many aspects, therefore it was be-fitting for Namibia to benchmark on how best to improve the livelihoods of its citizenry.

He said by virtue of being a member of the then frontline states, Botswana played an important role in Namibia’s attainment of independence.

“It is  important to note that the  first president to undertake a state visit to Namibia following the country’s independence was  Botswana’s former  president,  Sir Ketumile Masire, a visit  which cultivated  the  current  bilateral relations between the  two countries,” he said.

As fellow members of SADC region, Dr Mushelenga said Namibia appreciated the strong bilateral relations that it shared with Botswana saying such relations were deeply rooted in cultural similarities between the two nations.

Dr Mushelenga said it was important for both ministries to share notes on how best to disseminate government information for the betterment of the people. ends