Botswana To Host The Inaugural Session Of The Botswana-Namibia BI- National Commision
Gaborone, 5 September 2022: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform that His Excellency Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, President of the Republic of Botswana, will host the Inaugural Session of the Botswana-Namibia Bi-National Commission (BNC), on 9th September 2022 in Gaborone.
The Heads of State Session will be preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting and the Ministerial Session, which will take place on 5th β 6th and 8th September 2022 respectively.
Botswana and Namibia established diplomatic relations in 1990. The two countries share cultural, historical, and family ties and enjoy cordial bilateral relations, anchored on the spirit of neighbourliness and goodwill. The excellent state of relations between the two countries has been strengthened by numerous High-Level exchange visits.
Cooperation between the two countries was previously facilitated through bilateral frameworks of the Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation (JPCC) and the Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security (JPCDS). Following an agreement to elevate the JPCC and JPCDS to a Bi-National Commission, an Agreement establishing a BNC was signed in 2021. The BNC will discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest under four (4) Thematic Committees namely, Politics and Diplomacy; Economic Cluster; Social Cluster; as well as Defence and Security matters. It will also discuss issues from various sectors of cooperation including agriculture, water, as well as transport, and logistics.
