Russian Foreign Minister Starts His Visit To Namibia

The visit by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov to Namibia is called upon to give a new impetus to the work on ensuring long-term interests of Russia in Africa. This was stated by official spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yakovenko in an interview given to RIA Novosti. According to him, the meeting of the Russian minister with the Namibian leadership "has to serve the further drawing together" of the positions "on the most urgent problems of peace and security, including the creation of a global system to counter new challenges and threats, in the first place - terrorism." On the whole, pointed out Yakovenko, the negotiations of Igor Ivanov with the President and Foreign Minister of Namibia will be aimed at "intensifying the implementation of the principled agreements which were reached during the visit to Moscow by President Sam Nujoma in March 1998." In the course of this visit the sides signed the Joint Declaration on the principles of relations between the Russian Federation and Namibia, the agreement on cooperation in developing the diamond complexes of the two countries, the agreement on avoiding double taxes and the protocol on consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Namibia. According to the assessment of Moscow, Russia and Namibia are maintaining and developing friendly relations. They are conducting a permanent political dialogue. In March 1997, a delegation of the State Duma, headed by its Speaker Gennady Seleznev, visited Windhoek. In October the same year, a delegation of the National Assembly of Namibia, headed by its Speaker Mose Tjitendero, visited Moscow.