Namibians have been urged to obey and respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Angola when visiting the country.
This was said during a bilateral meeting held in Luanda, Angola, on Monday by international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and the Angolan minister of external relations Teté António.
A media statement by the international relations ministry on Monday noted that Namibians are welcomed in Angola on condition that they obey and respect the territorial integrity of the country.
“The two ministers underscored the sanctity and importance of respecting the rules, regulations and laws of the Republic of Angola and the Republic of Namibia,” noted the statement.
“The two ministers exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and concern at the bilateral level, including the issue of Namibian farmers grazing their cattle in the southern part of Angola.
“The two ministers also reaffirmed the importance of peaceful co-existence and good neighbourliness along the common border,” noted the statement.
Other issues discussed include the need for the preservation of protected natural reserves in line with the objectives and principles of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.
The two leaders further called for the de-occupation of farmers who have illegally set up structures on Angolan territory.
They noted that the bilateral agreement on the Movement of Goods and People (signed in 1992), continues to be in force, underscoring the interdependence, people-to-people ties and shared cultural heritage prevailing along the common border.
The agreement makes provision for the free movement of people within a 60-kilometre radius.
“The two ministers called on the neighbouring provincial/regional governors to operationalise the Governors’ Forum, in order to realise closer people-to-people linkages,” noted the statement.