The Namibia-Angola Joint Commission of Cooperation this week reviewed some bilateral agreements between the two neighbouring nations.
Mandated by President Hage Geingob, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is Namibia’s deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation, on Monday undertook a goodwill mission to Angola, where she held a bilateral meeting with ambassador Teté António, the minister of external relations of Angola, in Luanda.
The two ministers exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and concern at the bilateral level, including the issue of Namibian farmers grazing their cattle in the southern parts of Angola, and reaffirmed the importance of peaceful co-existence and good neighbourliness along the common border.
A press statement by the international relations ministry said the two ministers underscored the sanctity and importance of respecting the rules, regulations and laws of the Republic of Angola and the Republic of Namibia.
“In this regard, it was re-emphasised that Namibians are welcome on condition that they obey and respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Angola,” it reads.
The two ministers stressed the importance of the preservation of protected natural reserves, in line with the objectives and principles of the Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA-CFTA), and called for the de-occupation of those farmers who have illegally set up structures on Angolan territory.
The ministers emphasised that the bilateral agreement on the Movements of Goods and People (signed in 1992), continues to be in force.
“Noting the interdependence, people-to-people ties and shared cultural heritage prevailing along the common border, the Agreement makes provision for the free movement of people within a 60-kilometre radius,” reads the statement.
Nandi-Ndaitwah praised the Republic of Angola’s solidarity for allowing the Namibian farmers to graze their cattle because of climate change, a gesture testament to the longstanding bonds of friendship and solidarity which continue to characterise the warm, comradely and excellent bilateral relations between the two sister countries.
Meanwhile, the two leaders likewise agreed to undertake a joint working visit to the Cunene Province of Angola and the Ohangwena region of Namibia to engage local populations on the importance of peaceful co-existence and good neighbourliness, before the end of October 2023.
They furthermore agreed to strengthen the technical joint committee.
The politicians also called on the neighbouring provincial/regional governors to operationalise the Governors’ Forum, in order to realise closer people-to-people linkages.
Reiterating the historical relations between the two countries and the need for the convening of the inaugural Bi-National Commission in early 2024, as a platform to bolster trade and investment, the two ministers agreed to fast-track the finalisation and signing of the Bilateral Agreement on Cooperation in Trade, in Bovine, Meat and Meat Products.
– vkaapanda@nepc.com.na