By Petronella Sibeene WINDHOEK Although Namibia and Zimbabwe have through the years maintained strong solidarity at the bilateral level, many areas with great potential still remain unexplored. During the fourth session of the Zimbabwe/Namibia Joint Commission which opened yesterday in the capital, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, expressed satisfaction with the progress made with regard to bilateral cooperation in key sectors. However, he says more still needs to be done in the area of trade where he sees great potential in terms of increasing both the quality and volume of trade between the two countries. He called for an urgent finalization of negotiations on the amended Bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement. He further called on the two countries to explore possibilities of expanding trade in sugar and related products. While this session of the Joint Commission signed the Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation aimed at promoting investment and business opportunities, Mumbengegwi feels the two countries should speed up negotiations on the Bilateral Promotion and Protection Agreement in order to create an enabling legal framework. The two countries still face a challenge as they have not yet implemented the bilateral Road Transport Agreement and are still to conclude the Bilateral Air Services Agreement. These two are also important in the promotion of other sectors such as tourism. Mumbengegwi touched on the mining industry as another possible area the two countries can possibly cooperate in. “There are other areas of cooperation that we can fruitfully explore, such as diamond-mining, an area in which Namibia has considerable experience and expertise,” he said. While all these efforts are explored with an aim to make a positive impact on the livelihood of the people of the two nations, the area of small and medium enterprise development was another area identified for further cooperation. Mumbengegwi regards small and medium enterprises as inescapable entry points for emerging entrepreneurs into the formal economy. He added that the two countries should pursue with vigour, the facilitation of free movement of people between the two countries. The minister thanked Namibia for her support in the land reform programme, adding that Zimbabwe will equally do the same for Namibia and its land reform policies adopted to address the imbalances created by colonialism and apartheid. During the same occasion, Namibian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marco Hausiku reiterated that these joint efforts are there to promote economic growth and sustainable development of the two countries and their peoples. Apart from emphasizing the need to further strengthen the already existing relationship between the two countries, Hausiku called on SADC member states to continue supporting DRC in her efforts towards national reconstruction. The Namibia/Zimbabwe Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation was first signed on August 17, 1992. The sessions are held to review ongoing cooperation in areas of education, training and human resources development, cultural cooperation, youth and sport development, information and broadcasting, gender, agriculture, environmental and land issues, judicial matters, commerce and industry, mining, water affairs, transport and communication.