On December 14, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with Lemogang Kwape, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Botswana, who was in Yerevan to participate in the Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked Developing Countries.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Botswana signed a joint statement on establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During the official signing ceremony, Ararat Mirzoyan stated: “I would like to congratulate the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Botswana on this important occasion. Indeed, we are opening a new chapter by formally establishing our diplomatic relations. We are hopeful that with joint efforts and based on shared values, we will develop our relations in different fields ranging from agriculture to science and education and will actively cooperate on international platforms. Congratulations again”.

Foreign Minister of Botswana Lemogang Kwape stated: “Well, Your Excellency, I share the same hope. But beyond that, I cherish the shared past. And most importantly, we share values of our democracy, we also share values of development, and today’s meeting that we just came in from was a testament to that. As we’ve signed the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, I look forward to holding hands as brothers and sisters in mutually developing our countries. We are both landlocked, and we are both small states by economy and otherwise. We have about the same population. So, I think this puts us in a good state to really partner and have a true partnership”.

At the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Botswana discussed, particularly, the possibilities of strengthening ties in economy, high technologies, agriculture, education and culture, emphasizing in this context the formation of the future legal framework.

Issues on cooperation in international organizations were on the agenda of the meeting.

Regional issues were also at the center of the attention of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Botswana. The interlocutors touched upon projects aimed at developing transport and economic ties, including the "Crossroads of Peace" concept developed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.