India, Botswana agree to act tough on terror

Gaborone [Botswana], Nov 1 (ANI): India and Botswana on Thursday strongly condemned against terrorism and agreed to take determined and credible steps to eradicate the global menace.
The vice presidents of both the countries "unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed the importance of international efforts to prevent and fight the scourge of terrorism", according to an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.
The two leaders witnessed the signing of the agreement on the exemption of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic passports.
During the bilateral talks, both leaders acknowledged the historical, friendly and warm relations between the two countries and held extensive discussions on bilateral, multilateral and issues of mutual interest. They also reiterated their common desire to further strengthen economic, commercial, technical, educational and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
Botswana Vice President Slumber Tsogwane appreciated India's vision of Africa and developmental cooperation with the continent which covers a wide range of sectors, including health, infrastructure development, capacity building, Defence, mining, agriculture, trade, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and energy. He also thanked his Indian counterpart M. Venkaiah Naidu for the Indian government's continued partnership with Botswana, the statement said.
While acknowledging India's experience and expertise in Defence sector, Tsogwane warmly recalled long-standing defence cooperation and India's contribution towards capacity building of Botswana Defense Forces. He also expressed the desire to explore further cooperation in the area.
The two leaders resolved to have regular and mutual exchanges of high-level visits and agreed to continue to explore new avenues for further intensifying mutual engagement and thus, strengthening bilateral relations.
Both leaders emphasised on the need for urgent reforms of the United Nations Security Council, including its expansion in both the categories of membership to make it more representative, accountable, effective and responsive to the geopolitical realities of the 21st century, as per the statement.
The vice presidents discussed and agreed to deepen cooperation at the UN and other multilateral fora in order to address current global challenges of climate change, peace, security and sustainable development.
They further expressed a shared vision that the International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a sound framework for building and enhancing capacity of solar rich countries to develop solar technologies. To that end, India welcomed Botswana's confirmation to join the International Solar Alliance and that Botswana will sign and accede to the framework agreement.
Vice President Naidu noted with satisfaction that the Indian community in Botswana, who have been living for several generations, have integrated well into Botswana and contributed towards its development.
The Vice President officially inaugurated the Global Expo Botswana on October 31. In the expo, 25 Indian companies and business houses covering a range of sectors such as engineering and machinery, Information Technology (IT), manufacturing, trade, spinning and textile machinery are participating, making it the largest-ever Indian participation in the event. (ANI)