Namibia and Spain have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their bilateral relations for the betterment of the two countries' futures.

This was revealed at the Namibia-Spain Political Consultation held in Windhoek on Tuesday.

The Executive Director in the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Penda Naanda, says that through combined multilateral efforts, he is hopeful that they will be able to overcome global challenges such as threats to international peace and security, climate change, global economic instability, supply chain problems, and migration, among others.

"Exponentially in all sectors of life for the mutual benefit of our two countries and peoples. I have no doubt that we will find ways of building sustainable cooperation between our two countries, as well as discussing multilateral cooperation and the current geo-political challenges around the globe."

On her part, the European Union's Ministry of Home Affairs' Director General for Africa, Alicia Rico Perez Del Pulgar, noted that bilateral relations between Namibia and Spain date back to Namibia's independence.

"We have had excellent diplomatic relations; we have been present here in the country for 33 years with the resident embassy, and we would like to transmit and once again confirm our commitment to keeping on the joint efforts and working with you to address global challenges you mentioned, such as climate change, migration, security and peace, the fight against terrorism, and also the food crises caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine."

Spain is expected to take over the presidency of the European Union Council on July 1 this year.

"We take this responsibility for the fifth time at a very important moment for a continent, and we will ensure that Spain places the leadership role that it has always played within the EU. As you know, we are very committed to the European Union project, and this is an important moment for the EU because it will be the last presidency before the new legislature next year. There will be elections in the European Parliament, and from there we will have a new commission."

Spain and Namibia are good trade partners, especially in the area of fishing products.

Namibia also imports mostly fishing boats and mechanical machinery from Spain.

The two countries also have a memorandum of understanding in the field of political consultations and a Development Partnership Framework Agreement that identifies priority areas for action.

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July Nafuka