Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana’s envoys to other countries and multilateral bodies and agencies are duty-bound to relentlessly defend, protect and promote the country’s image and interests in their missions abroad.
When bidding farewell to Botswana’s Ambassador designate to Brazil Ms Benetia Chingapane and Ambassador designate to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU) Mr Tebelelo Boang in Gaborone yesterday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi urged both envoys to remain steadfast in managing and coordinating Botswana’s foreign policy and advancing the country’s interests abroad.
As points of first contact in the countries to which they have been assigned, President Masisi urged the duo to make every effort to ensure that Botswana’s aspirations were translated into reality through nurturing the already established bilateral ties and by establishing new avenues of trade.
“Go out there and fly the Botswana flag high, most importantly ensure that Botswana’s interests are at the centre and forefront of your duties,” he said.
In bidding Ms Chingapane farewell, President Masisi said Botswana highly valued its relations with Brazil which dated back to 1985 and the entire South America.
He said it was pleasing that the two countries had worked together on the international front to find solutions to the many and complex challenges afflicting humanity, both as members of the Non-Aligned Movement and other multilateral organisations.
“Botswana attaches a lot of importance to her relations with Brazil more so that the two countries are both well known for cattle farming, therefore it is important to enhance relations with Brazil as a cattle breeding superpower especially in the dairy sector,” President Masisi said.
When addressing Mr Boang, the President said Botswana also attached a lot of importance to its relations with Ethiopia, a country which he said occupied a prominent place in global affairs.
He said Ethiopia was equally dominant in cattle rearing with the majority of its animals being breeding stock.
Thus, he said it was imperative that the two countries worked together particularly since Botswana aspired to be a global centre of excellence for cutting-edge reproductive technologies for cattle breeding through which high quality semen and embryos would be produced for both domestic and global markets.
To that effect, he said he was convinced that Mr Boang would establish ways through which the two countries could collaborate in cattle farming and livestock value chain beneficiation.
In his role as Botswana’s Permanent Representative to the AU, President Masisi expressed optimism that Mr Boang would be at the fore in projecting Botswana’s policies and entrenching the country’s values and views in the African continent.
Meanwhile, President Masisi also welcomed back Ms Tebogo Motshome from her tour of duty as Botswana’s ambassador to Brazil and applauded her for her stellar representation of the country in her ambassadorial role.
He urged her to exchange notes with the incoming ambassador to enable the further strengthening of ties between the two countries.
In response, both envoys pledged to always have the country’s interests at heart and to serve Botswana with humility, honour, dignity and grace.
Ms Chingapane said a number of potential areas of cooperation existed that Botswana and Brazil could explore especially in the sectors of agriculture and health.
For his part, Mr Boang vowed to among others things, facilitate Botswana’s contributions to the continental development agenda including the transformative AU Agenda 2063, which seeks to realise ‘an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa’.
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