Press Release

Two months after Sunday Standard’s article “Masisi gets on Putin’s bad side”, to which our Embassy had already reacted accordingly (follow the link to read our comments) another invention appeared in the latest issue of this weekly “Is Putin planning to oust Masisi?”.

It is based on almost the same replication of the February opus, but an absurd mixture of references to the Russian military intelligence, international broadcaster RT, Josep Borrell, and the Ukrainian crisis were added, turning the article into a complete nonsense. No less outrageous are the insinuations in the headline.

The Russian Embassy would like to warn once again readers of this newspaper and the Botswana public in general about the inconsistency of this publication.

Opponents of Russia-Botswana and Russia-Africa relations still cannot calm down. They don’t even bother to come up with anything new, trying to find another, as they think sensational, newsbreak, and stick to it the same rubbish content which has already demonstrated its complete failure.

To spread their rotten lies, they use media that does not shy away from participating in such provocations and is ready to publish any dirty concoction.

Suffice it to say that none of the African leaders are regarded as “unfriendly” in Russia. They are invited, including the President of Botswana, to the second Russia-Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg in July 2023, and we expect everyone to participate in the event to discuss the crucial issues of political, trade, economic, humanitarian ties between Russia and Africa, as well as the current situation in the international arena and the formation of a new just and equal multipolar world order. Africa has a special role to play in this process, and Moscow attaches particular importance to interaction with the nations of this continent.

(C) EMBASSY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA

April 18, 2023