By Minttu-Maaria Partanen WINDHOEK – Namibia joined the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 82nd birthday on Tuesday at the British High Commission in Namibia. Queen Elizabeth II was born on the 21st of April in 1926 but her birthday is yearly celebrated in Britain on the 3rd Saturday of June. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lempy Lucas wished Her Majesty happy returns. Lucas said Namibia and the United Kingdom have a good bilateral relationship. President Hifikepunye Pohamba visited Britain last year and met the Queen who herself visited Namibia in 1991 after independence. Lucas thanked Britain for its investment in the mining and energy sectors. Since Namibia faces an increasing energy shortage, it is vital that the country finds new sources of energy, she said. This includes solar, wind and bio energy. Namibia is therefore seeking partnerships to increase the use of renewable energy sources with countries like Britain. The minister also noted that a lot of Namibian beef and grapes have been exported to the UK. Lucas greeted happily the fact that Hangana Seafood has secured British Retail Consortium certification so that the company can start exporting fish to Britain. British High Commissioner Mark Bensberg noted that Britain supports Namibia with N$40 million annually in terms of development programmes. In addition, Britain delivers funds through multilateral agencies such as the United Nations and the European Commission. Bensberg noted the help given by Britain to areas in northern Namibia after the heavy rains that caused flooding. He wished that the good relationship between the two countries would continue into the future.