Windhoek / Namibia
A delegation from the State of Palestine, headed by PICA, undertook a mission in the Republic of Namibia aimed at establishing development cooperation between the two countries in the service of the Republic of Namibia and their common interests. This mission aims at strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries and to thank the Republic of Namibia which has long stood and supported Palestine and continues to support it in various international forums.
The delegation held important meetings with Namibian officials in the capital of Windhoek. The first of which was with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Vice-President of the ruling party, Ms. Nitembo Neditouh, where they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the State of Palestine and the Republic of Namibia and to frame the relationship through a cooperation agreement that includes development areas to be conducted in the coming weeks. This aims at making a progress towards implementing programs and activities in the areas of health, agriculture and energy by Palestinian expertise that meet the needs and priorities expressed by the Namibian side.
PICA Director General, Imad Al-Zuhairi, conveyed the greetings of President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people to the Namibian people and their president and leadership. He praised the role of Namibia in supporting Palestine and stressed on the importance of joint programs that will be implemented using Palestinian human resources.
The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the Palestinian delegation and expressed pride in the history of relations between the two countries, which will be translated through the activities and practical programs that will be implemented by PICA. Moreover, she reiterated her country’s unlimited support for Palestinian legitimate rights, first of which is the right of our people to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital. She also conveyed the greetings of the President and the government of the country to President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people and congratulated the formation of the new government and wished it the best of luck.
The delegation of the State of Palestine, which includes PICA Director General, Imad Al-Zuhairi, 1st Secretary Hassouna Al-Dremeli, 1st Secretary Ashraf Abu Shkheidam from the Embassy of the State of Palestine in South Africa and the Diplomatic Attaché Khaled Abu Qare from PICA, held an extended meeting with a team from the Ministry of Health, headed by its Director General, Bin Nangombih, and his team. The meeting involved an overview of PICA medical programs and programs that have been implemented in different countries. They agreed upon specific activities that meet the needs expressed by the Namibian Party, which will be included in the cooperation agreement between the two countries. The agreement will be practically implemented through activities that are part of a specialized practical training, which will help in strengthening academic medical cooperation and capacity-building programs in specific medical areas.
The delegation also met with Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Ana Shwaida, and discussed programs related to strengthening agricultural cadres and developing agricultural mechanisms by adapting the unique Palestinian agricultural potential to the needs expressed in the fields of capacity building and enhancing the performance of the Namibian staff in order to improve the quality of the product and increase the quantity of crops in a qualitative manner.
On the other hand, the Palestinian delegation met with the Ambassador of Finland in Namibia, Birko Lisa Kajostila, and a representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to discuss possibilities of triangular cooperation for Namibia and the potential of Finland and Japan to participate in the implementation of activities and programs in the medical and agricultural fields. A number of steps have been agreed upon to enhance triangular cooperation in the Republic of Namibia. The delegation also met with representatives from the private sector and Namibian businessmen in order to establish relations that strengthen the status of the associations of businessmen, chambers of commerce, industry and the Palestinian private sector in Namibia.