Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana will continue advocating for unconditional removal of the sanctions on Zimbabwe.
This was said by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Lemogang Kwape, when officially opening the ministers’ meeting at the 4th Botswana-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission in Maun yesterday.
Dr Kwape said the sanctions continued to be an obstacle in Zimbabwe’s path towards full economic recovery.
“I wish to reassure you of Botswana’s unequivocal commitment in continuing to advocate for the unconditional removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe, which continues to be an obstacle in the country’s path towards full economic recovery. Botswana and the SADC region at large are also affected by these sanctions,” he said.
He said Botswana and Zimbabwe had continued to enjoy excellent bilateral relations, which formed the bedrock for constructive engagements at regional and multilateral levels.
The minister further said there had been tangible progress achieved in execution of various decisions of the Botswana-Zimbabwe Bi-National Commission (BNC). He said progress was made in various areas such as diplomatic, legal, defence, security, sport, health, transport and wildlife management.
“As we meet to evaluate progress and advance the course of our cooperation, allow me to recognise the industrious manner in which our senior officials continue to tackle the issues defining our bilateral cooperation. There is no doubt that they face challenges in implementing the decisions of the BNC,” he said.
He further said successful convening of the mid-term review meeting in Harare in December 2022 also showed commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations and the resolve to achieve socio-economic development for the two countries and peoples.
However, the minister said while progress was recorded in some areas of cooperation, a lot still needed to be done in order to yield tangible results that would improve livelihoods of peoples of the two countries.
“We still have a number of pending Memoranda of Understanding and agreements, which have the potential to broaden our cooperation agenda. I implore us to redouble our efforts to speedily finalise all the pending instruments,” he said.
Again, the minister said convening of the joint trade committee a few days before the BNC meetings was clear demonstration of the importance both countries attached towards advancing trade relations.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Fredrick Shava pointed that there was a will and drive to ensure that the two countries achieved sustainable development and economic prosperity for the benefit of their people. “We are ready to engage on the broad and diverse range of issues that underpin our relationship, with a view to delivering tangible results.
We also look forward to working closely together in addressing areas where progress has been lagging behind,” he said.
Mr Shava said the agreements signed at the meeting were a reflection and evidence of the firm political commitment to strengthen and deepen the long standing historical and friendly ties between Botswana and Zimbabwe.
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