08 Mar 2015

Botswana and Russia continue to enjoy long standing ties of friendship, mutual respect and cooperation.

And March 6 saw the celebration of the 45^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In the past decades, Botswana benefited from its cooperation with Russia in sectors such as education, cultural exchanges, military cooperation, health and support for economic development.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Shaw Kgathi said Russia and Botswana would do their best to ensure that while they capitalised on past achievements in these relations, they further committed themselves to make sure that cooperation and collaborative partnerships were strengthened and deepened as they sought to consolidate past achievements.

He said the support Botswana got through its cordial bilateral relation with Russia was critical, especially during the formative stages of nationhood, because it addressed one of the foundational pillars of sustainable development, being empowering human beings to take their destiny into their own hands.

Mr Kgathi noted that when Russia established diplomatic relations with Botswana in 1970, Botswana was still regarded by many countries as a barren land without the necessary resources to sustain their newly acquired status as an independent country.

For his part, the Russian ambassador, Mr Victor Sibilev said his country had always supported Botswana, as well as other fledging African states in their desire to develop independently, raise living standards and uphold dignity of their peoples.

He said Russia was prepared to further strengthen friendship and cooperation with Botswana. ENDS