The Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), H.E. Mr. Elias M. Magosi, received a farewell courtesy call from the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Botswana and Special Representative to SADC, H.E. Mr. Andrey Kemarskiy, at the SADC Secretariat in Gaborone on 16 September 2026.
The meeting reaffirmed the longstanding partnership between SADC and the Russian Federation and provided an opportunity to reflect on key achievements attained during Ambassador Kemarskiyโs tenure, while exploring opportunities for enhanced cooperation in support of regional integration and sustainable development.
The partnership between SADC and the Russian Federation is anchored in two cooperation agreements signed in 2018. These include the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Basic Principles of Relations and Cooperation, which guides collaboration in areas such as political affairs, trade and investment, science and technology, culture, and humanitarian cooperation, as well as the MoU on Military-Technical Cooperation, which promotes collaboration in support of regional peace, security, and capacity-building. Both agreements have been extended until 2028.
The Executive Secretary briefed the Ambassador on progress made towards finalising the Draft Action Plan, which is expected to provide a comprehensive framework for advancing cooperation in areas including political dialogue, trade and investment, industrial development, science and technology, culture, humanitarian affairs, and people-to-people exchanges.
H.E. Mr. Magosi welcomed the strong collaboration between the SADC Secretariat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and the Embassy of the Russian Federation. He noted that the engagement demonstrated throughout the consultation process reflects the shared commitment of both parties to strengthening relations and translating strategic partnerships into tangible development outcomes.
Ambassador Kemarskiy updated the Executive Secretary on the Third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled to take place in Moscow, Russian Federation, from 28 to 29 October 2026. He also presented an invitation from H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, for the Executive Secretary to participate in the Summit. Both sides noted the importance of the Summit as a platform for deepening Africa-Russia cooperation and promoting partnerships that contribute to regional integration, economic transformation, innovation, sustainable growth, and shared prosperity.
The courtesy call also provided an opportunity to acknowledge Ambassador Kemarskiyโs contribution to advancing SADC-Russia relations during his term of office. Since presenting his credentials to SADC in June 2021, Ambassador Kemarskiy has played an important role in strengthening engagement between the Russian Federation and the SADC region, including supporting the extension of the cooperation agreements and facilitating progress towards finalising the Draft Action Plan.
The SADC Executive Secretary expressed sincere appreciation for Ambassador Kemarskiyโs dedication, professionalism, and commitment to strengthening cooperation between SADC and the Russian Federation. He commended the Ambassador for his stewardship in advancing the partnership and wished him every success in his future assignments.
The Executive Secretary reaffirmed SADCโs commitment to deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with the Russian Federation in support of the regionโs development aspirations as articulated in the SADC Vision 2050 and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020-2030.
The Russian Federation currently maintains diplomatic representation in 11 SADC Member States, namely Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This presence underscores the broad and enduring relationship between the Russian Federation and the SADC region.
