MINSK, 1 July (BelTA) – Belarus and Botswana will intensify cooperation in many areas of mutual interest. Such an arrangement was reached at the meeting between Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maksim Ryzhenkov and Botswana’s Minister of International Relations Phenyo Butale in Minsk, BelTA has learned.
The Belarusian foreign minister called the talks intensive and constructive. He emphasized that it is the first official visit of Botswana’s foreign minister to Belarus in the history of bilateral relations.
“I will say more: this visit set in motion our political and diplomatic relations, if we put aside the agreement on establishing diplomatic ties that was concluded about 20 years ago,” Maksim Ryzhenkov remarked.
He expressed confidence that Belarus and Botswana will be able to forge successful relationships in all areas. He noted that both countries are committed to defending their sovereignty and independence and pursuing an independent development path based on their legacy.
During the negotiations, the foreign ministers discussed the entire range of the bilateral agenda and adopted a joint statement. It formalized plans to strengthen cooperation in the international arena, develop the legal framework (there are plans to abolish visas for holders of diplomatic and service passports and to set up a trade and economic commission).
“We have decided how we will implement the agreements that have been reached today. Our specialists will work on the specifics of our plans to promote cooperation in education, culture and politics. There are plans to sign an agreement on cooperation between the ministries of foreign affairs and on holding ministerial consultations,” added Maksim Ryzhenkov.
“We are completely open to our African friends and are ready to get involved, assist with promoting any economic sectors,” the foreign minister assured.
In turn, Phenyo Butale thanked the Belarusian side for the invitation and for the hospitality. He remarked that in November 2024, Botswana experienced a significant shift in its political landscape - the party that had been in power for more than 50 years was replaced by a new political force.
“We are proud as a nation that the power transition was peaceful. Being here today, we want to tell Belarus that Botswana is ready to open a new chapter in bilateral relations and to expand our mutually beneficial cooperation,” he emphasized.
He called the talks with his Belarusian counterpart excellent and noted that these negotiations built on a very successful visit of Botswana’s agriculture minister in June of this year.
“Agriculture is one of the most promising areas of cooperation between Belarus and Botswana. As a new government, we are actively pursuing economic diversification and industrialization to reduce our reliance on the diamond mining sector [Botswana is the world leader in diamond mining]. Of course, we are interested in mechanizing our agriculture. This is an area in which Belarus has already made substantial progress, thus we are interested in adopting Belarus’ expertise and knowledge. We have agreed on specific plans in the short, medium and long terms,” said Phenyo Butale.
According to him, at first the parties will identify what types of Belarusian farm machinery can be useful to Botswana's agricultural producers. The two countries also plan to exchange best practices in this industry, to collaborate in training of students. This will help Botswana to adopt the best practices in agriculture in order to get better outcomes. “We believe that we should take a closer look at our cooperation and analyze what Belarus and Botswana can offer to each other in order to build a balanced trade and make our interaction truly mutually beneficial,” the Botswana foreign minister emphasized.
He said that closer cooperation will benefit the peoples of both countries. The use of Belarus’ practices, competencies and technologies to mechanize Botswana's agriculture will certainly have a positive impact on the economic situation in the country, the minister said. Cooperation with Botswana can benefit Belarus, too, as the country will be able to promote its goods and services to the African market. “We invite companies from Belarus to establish presence on the Botswana market; our country has a very advantageous geographical location; it can be a gateway to the markets of South African countries. We have created a favorable business environment, we have ensured both economic and political stability. We assure you that Botswana is a safe and profitable investment destination,” said Phenyo Butale.
He also sees tourism as a promising area for cooperation. There is a popular saying in Botswana that before you die, you should visit Botswana for a safari. Therefore, the minister invited everyone to visit Botswana for a range of unique travel experiences.
Closer cooperation with African countries is among the priority tasks for Belarus. In June of this year, Maksim Ryzhenkov hosted delegations from three African states - Botswana, Ghana and Mozambique. The delegations were headed by the agriculture ministers of these countries. Agriculture is an economic mainstay of the majority of African countries, and Belarus’ expertise and knowledge, along with advanced agricultural technologies, are of great interest to them. They are also ready to promote cooperation in other sectors as well.
Work to intensify relations continues at all levels, and the visit of the Botswana foreign minister is aligned with these efforts. Both sides are determined to move beyond intentions and engage in concrete steps to foster bilateral cooperation.
The Belarusian foreign minister called the talks intensive and constructive. He emphasized that it is the first official visit of Botswana’s foreign minister to Belarus in the history of bilateral relations.
“I will say more: this visit set in motion our political and diplomatic relations, if we put aside the agreement on establishing diplomatic ties that was concluded about 20 years ago,” Maksim Ryzhenkov remarked.
He expressed confidence that Belarus and Botswana will be able to forge successful relationships in all areas. He noted that both countries are committed to defending their sovereignty and independence and pursuing an independent development path based on their legacy.
During the negotiations, the foreign ministers discussed the entire range of the bilateral agenda and adopted a joint statement. It formalized plans to strengthen cooperation in the international arena, develop the legal framework (there are plans to abolish visas for holders of diplomatic and service passports and to set up a trade and economic commission).
“We have decided how we will implement the agreements that have been reached today. Our specialists will work on the specifics of our plans to promote cooperation in education, culture and politics. There are plans to sign an agreement on cooperation between the ministries of foreign affairs and on holding ministerial consultations,” added Maksim Ryzhenkov.
“We are completely open to our African friends and are ready to get involved, assist with promoting any economic sectors,” the foreign minister assured.
In turn, Phenyo Butale thanked the Belarusian side for the invitation and for the hospitality. He remarked that in November 2024, Botswana experienced a significant shift in its political landscape - the party that had been in power for more than 50 years was replaced by a new political force.
“We are proud as a nation that the power transition was peaceful. Being here today, we want to tell Belarus that Botswana is ready to open a new chapter in bilateral relations and to expand our mutually beneficial cooperation,” he emphasized.
He called the talks with his Belarusian counterpart excellent and noted that these negotiations built on a very successful visit of Botswana’s agriculture minister in June of this year.
“Agriculture is one of the most promising areas of cooperation between Belarus and Botswana. As a new government, we are actively pursuing economic diversification and industrialization to reduce our reliance on the diamond mining sector [Botswana is the world leader in diamond mining]. Of course, we are interested in mechanizing our agriculture. This is an area in which Belarus has already made substantial progress, thus we are interested in adopting Belarus’ expertise and knowledge. We have agreed on specific plans in the short, medium and long terms,” said Phenyo Butale.
According to him, at first the parties will identify what types of Belarusian farm machinery can be useful to Botswana's agricultural producers. The two countries also plan to exchange best practices in this industry, to collaborate in training of students. This will help Botswana to adopt the best practices in agriculture in order to get better outcomes. “We believe that we should take a closer look at our cooperation and analyze what Belarus and Botswana can offer to each other in order to build a balanced trade and make our interaction truly mutually beneficial,” the Botswana foreign minister emphasized.
He said that closer cooperation will benefit the peoples of both countries. The use of Belarus’ practices, competencies and technologies to mechanize Botswana's agriculture will certainly have a positive impact on the economic situation in the country, the minister said. Cooperation with Botswana can benefit Belarus, too, as the country will be able to promote its goods and services to the African market. “We invite companies from Belarus to establish presence on the Botswana market; our country has a very advantageous geographical location; it can be a gateway to the markets of South African countries. We have created a favorable business environment, we have ensured both economic and political stability. We assure you that Botswana is a safe and profitable investment destination,” said Phenyo Butale.
He also sees tourism as a promising area for cooperation. There is a popular saying in Botswana that before you die, you should visit Botswana for a safari. Therefore, the minister invited everyone to visit Botswana for a range of unique travel experiences.
Closer cooperation with African countries is among the priority tasks for Belarus. In June of this year, Maksim Ryzhenkov hosted delegations from three African states - Botswana, Ghana and Mozambique. The delegations were headed by the agriculture ministers of these countries. Agriculture is an economic mainstay of the majority of African countries, and Belarus’ expertise and knowledge, along with advanced agricultural technologies, are of great interest to them. They are also ready to promote cooperation in other sectors as well.
Work to intensify relations continues at all levels, and the visit of the Botswana foreign minister is aligned with these efforts. Both sides are determined to move beyond intentions and engage in concrete steps to foster bilateral cooperation.
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