04 Aug 2014

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Phandu Skelemani says Botswana’s relationship with Russia and Japan has benefitted the country in various ways and needs to be nurtured.

Speaking at a farewell reception of the Russian ambassador, Mr Anatoly Korsun and the Japan’s Ambassador, Mr Hiroyasu Kobayashi in Gaborone July 31, Minister Skelemani said Botswana and Russia had regular high level contacts, which had provided solid foundation for strategy dialogue and expansion of the two countries cooperation.

He said under Mr Korsun’s leadership, Botswana had noticed substantial growth in activities that underpinned the relationship between the two countries.

That, he said, was partly evidenced by an increase in the number of Batswana studying in the Russian Federation, both under scholarships facilitated by the Embassy and other independent sponsors.

Mr Skelemani said Mr Korsun ensured that the two ministries of foreign affairs stayed in contact through the Botswana-Russia Political Dialogue which allowed them to openly engage each other on matters of mutual interest at the bilateral and multilateral levels which helped them to understand each other’s positions on a wide range of global issues.

On Ambassador Kobayashi, he said Japan, through its assistance, also played a major role in the country’s development efforts and such assistance covered many areas including human resource development and infrastructure.

He said during his stay in Botswana, Mr Kobayashi hosted artists from Japan who came to showcase the Japanese culture at cultural events.

On economic cooperation, Mr Skelemani indicated that Mr Kobayashi ensured that Botswana continued to receive generous development assistance and support from Japan and as a result of his dedication and commitment the two countries relations have been taken to greater heights.

Nonetheless, he said Botswana was still faced with numerous developmental challenges, particularly in the areas of transport, communications and energy infrastructure.

As such, he said with the Ambassador’s in-depth understanding of the country’s development challenges, he would lobby for support for Botswana’s development efforts.

On the other hand, Mr Korsun said he enjoyed his stay in Botswana and thanked Batswana for their warm hospitality because they made him feel at home.

He added that political stability, good governance, sustainable growth of economy, among others, were aimed at strengthening security and stability regionally and globally.

Ambassador Kobayashi said he also witnessed great strides in the bilateral relations between Japan and Botswana in the three years he had stayed in Botswana.

He also stated that in political relations, Botswana and Japan had experienced unprecedented number of high level visits between the two countries. ENDS