Swapo parliamentarian Tobie Aupindi has said the agreement between Namibia and Russia on mutual legal assistance in criminal cases is a “big win” for Namibia.

 He called on the legislative chamber to speedily ratify the treaty.

“Namibia’s future could be very well lying in these treaties’ bilateral cooperation. I see a big win for Namibia because the treaty aims to strengthen the legal foundation of providing mutual legal effectiveness of activities of combating crimes, including crimes relating to terrorism with respect to international laws and sovereign equality,” Aupindi said.

He said this last week while contributing to a request on the ratification of the agreement, which was motivated by justice minister Yvonne Dausab in the National Assembly earlier this month.

“The agreement is important in respecting the rule of law, adhering to our governance system, maintaining peace, security, and constitutional democracy,” Dausab said at the time.

The agreement aims to strengthen and develop cooperation between the two states, through the exchange of experienced experts of both parties in areas of national statutes.

As this accordingly occurs at the international level, the cooperation agreement between Namibia and Russia is required, Dausab added.

Aupindi said Russia has resources that are far-reaching, which will assist a small economy such as Namibia in accessing, such as global investigative capabilities and assisting to bring those who commit crimes to justice in Namibia and Russia.

He said the conflict in Ukraine proves that any systematic threat to either Russia or the USA, will not be good and eventually throw the world into insecurity and economic catastrophe. 

“The world needs a national security policy which guarantees national security for both Russia and USA so that global peace and economic prosperity will be attained,” he said. 

Aupindi said there is no question that Russia is a very technologically sophisticated country with a lot to give. “It is the fifth-largest economy in Europe and it is number one by far in key strategic industries such as technology and natural resources,” he stressed.

According to Aupindi, Africa’s history with the Soviet Union is well recorded. 

“ Soviet supported our liberation struggle (training of PLAN combatants, providing weapons and food to the refugees) and most importantly, fighting alongside Swapo,” he said.

ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na