Botswanan president visits Namibia for bilateral consultations

GABORONE, Jan. 29  — President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana left for Windhoek, Namibia, Friday morning to undertake a one-day working visit intended for bilateral consultations with his Namibian counterpart, President Hage Geingob.
The purpose of the working visit is to continue to deepen and strengthen bilateral relations as well as the friendship that exists between the neighboring countries, Masisi said.
“In friendship, just like in a marriage setup, there are moments where there are misunderstandings,” said Masisi, adding that the shooting incident of five Namibian nationals late last year is a “minor misunderstanding.”
“If there is something that we need to sort out following the last year’s shooting incident, we are going to deliberate on this issue at length and find a long-lasting solution and closure of the unfortunate incident,” Masisi noted.
The most important thing that citizens of Botswana need to understand, however, is that the bilateral relations between Botswana and Namibia are continuing because “we are going to upgrade our ties,” he said.
“We are going to sign an agreement and see to it that our ties are upgraded from joint commission to bi-national commission,” said Masisi, adding the move is aimed at ensuring that the leaders of the neighboring countries will meet annually to discuss important sociopolitical and economic matters.

– Xinhua