Ondjiva - The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, on Friday in the province of Cunene, invited Namibian citizens to respect the sovereignty of the national territory, with a view to maintaining the good relations of brotherhood between the two peoples.
Speaking at a meeting between delegations of the Governments of the two countries dedicated to the issue of the presence of Namibian farmers in Angolan territory, the minister called for the search for effective solutions to the situation of Namibian farmers who illegally occupied pasture areas in Angola.
On the Namibian side, the delegation to the meeting was led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
According to the head of Angolan diplomacy, the meeting is a follow-up to a ministerial meeting held in October 2023 in Luanda, which decided to carry out a joint visit to verify the problem on the ground and identify 'sustainable solutions' that can regularize the situation with strict respect for the sovereignty of each country.
Téte Antônio said it was a historic joint mission to propose viable solutions that include compliance with the laws of the Republic of Angola by Namibian farmers, as well as the regularization of their stay in national territory.
He stressed that the historical relations, bonds of brotherhood and familiarity between the two peoples must be preserved.
In this regard, the minister emphasized the importance of the role of national authorities, border provincial governments and traditional authorities in raising awareness among cross-border communities to respect the national laws of each territory.
He proposed the reactivation of the forums of the governors of the border provinces, supported by the Joint Technical Committee to find concrete solutions to regularize the situation of invasion of Angolan territory and other aspects of the 1992 Bilateral Agreement, which establishes the framework for the movement of people between the two neighboring countries.
The minister also expressed the willingness of the Angolan authorities to continue working together with the Namibian government 'in the spirit of brotherhood', to find the best possible solutions.
He also reiterated the importance of economic cooperation with Namibia in addressing the various problems affecting local communities.
The meeting was attended by the Ministers of Defense and Interior, João Ernesto dos Santos and Eugenio Laborinho, respectively, the governor of Cunene, Gerdina Didalewa, among others.
The province of Cunene shares a 460-kilometre border with the Republic of Namibia, of which 340 kilometres are land and 120 are fluvial.FI/LHE/VIC/DOJ
