Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana has managed to secure a seat in the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC).
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Lemogang Kwape divulged on the margins of the 37th African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that the Southern African nation known for peace and stability was elected to the position last Thursday.
The Peace and Security Council is charged with enforcing union decisions to promote peace, security and stability in Africa.
Unlike the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the AU PSC has no permanent members or veto powers. All 15 members have equal powers in the council.
The 10 members are elected for two years and five members are elected for three years.
Minister Kwape explained that the country had been elected to sit in the security organ for two years.
He was thrilled that Botswana would use its position to assert the importance of resolving disputes through dialogue with Africa.
He said the use of the barrel of the gun had to be kept at bay at all costs for the sake of the progress of the continent that despite its mineral endowment, had been languishing in dire poverty partly due to wars.
Furthermore, Minister Kwape told BOPA that he had the opportunity to meet with a representative from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, who expressed wish for the entity to have one of their meetings held in Botswana.
He said this was a welcome development and in line with President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s deliberate strategy to establish Botswana as a destination of choice for hosting meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions.
He said the idea was still at its infancy and he would only divulge more on the matter in the not-so-distant a future.
“Go ngokela batho kwa Botswana go tla go tshwara diphuthego tsa mohuta o go dira gore dikgwebo tsa Batswana le bojanala di atlege ka di tlisa batho ba le bantsi ba ba nang le madi kwa lefatsheng la rona,” he said, affirming that indeed President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s visits to lure investors to Botswana continued to bear fruits and had financial spin-offs for Batswana businesses.
He also shared the fruitful discussions held with Latvia Special Envoy, Mr Andrejs Pildegovics, which were primarily to foster Latvia and Botswana bilateral relations.
Latvia used the courtesy call to lobby for the support of the Southern African nation in her bid to secure a seat within the UNSC.
Minister Kwape relayed that the Executive Council of Ministers of the Union had also deliberated on the Pan Africa Parliament (PAP), which has been riddled with problems with the view to bring normalcy to the institution whose activities have been suspended for a while.
He was happy that a decision had been taken to elect a new PAP president.
The council of ministers, according to Minister Kwape, had an opportunity to zero in on the use of resources, particularly monetary and had thus resolved to have the AU finances audited ‘because as a Union we have to account to the Africans’’.
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