00:00As the Africa Union and European Union foreign ministers pledged to boost
00:05cooperation on security and the economy, Botswana has called for Brussels to beat
00:10more strategic investments in the country. Speaking to Euronews, Botswana's
00:15foreign minister, Fenway Patel, said his country is open to business.
00:19Botswana has been enjoying excellent relations with the EU and we believe that
00:26there is room for us and Europe and Belgium to reimagine these relations and
00:34ensure that we improve our trade and ensure that Botswana and Europe
00:43benefit mutually from this relationship.
00:48Retail's call for more trade and investments with the EU comes amid a 37% trade tariff imposed by the Trump administration.
00:55on Botswana, one of the hardest-hit nations in Africa. The country's economy, which is reliant on diamond exports,
01:03contracted last year by 3.1% due to weak global demand. Once regarded as one of the world's fastest-growing economies,
01:12Botswana is, however, optimistic after a forecast suggests an expected 3.3% growth this year.
01:20Confronted by the Trump administration's trade tariffs, the world's leading producer of diamonds wants to deepen
01:27bilateral trade and strategic partnership with the European Union.
01:31Jerry Fisaya Bambi for Euronews.
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