Draft policy tough On border disputes
Malawi’s draft foreign policy is tough on Lake Malawi border dispute with Tanzania, highlighting the need for the country to protect its territorial integrity at all costs.
The draft policy, currently at consultation stage, also envisions close relations with both the West and East, recognising that Western nations and institutions are sources of overseas development assistance (ODA) whereas rising Eastern powers such as China and India are sources of both development aid and trade partnerships.
Besides expanding on sovereignty and territorial integrity, the draft foreign policy also mentions peace and security, sustainable development through development diplomacy, trade, promotion of democratic governance, environmental management, climate change and Diaspora as its new pillars.
The policy says the country will ensure its land, water and air spaces are maintained.
In an interview yesterday on the sidelines of a consultative meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Principal Secretary Dalitso Kabambe emphasised that the policy position was not influenced by the border wrangle with Tanzania.
Recently, Tanzania published a new map which ate deep into Lake Malawi, officially staking a claim on a part of the lake which Malawi considers part of its territory.
Said Kabambe: “This [draft foreign policy position] is not a reaction. Issues of sovereignty are always part of our foreign policy and even in the outgoing policy, we had territorial integrity as the cornerstone of our policy.”
In the face of donor fatigue and other factors leading to a drop in financial assistance from a majority of Western donors and the country increasingly turning to China and other emerging nations, the draft foreign policy sanctions efforts to maintain both divides as sources of support and trade.
“Our analysis indicates that the West remains a key player and partner. The West remains the number one source of our ODA. We will also thrive to maintain our fruitful relations with the East which of late has provided important loans and investment,” said Kabambe.
Earlier, Kabambe said the changing global geopolitical landscape demands that Malawi leverages global opportunities and mitigate challenges in the pursuit of its interests.
The committee’s vice-chairperson Alex Major said apart from ensuring fruitful relations with donors and neighbours, the committee hopes the new policy will ensure that political freedoms, climate change and environment issues are prioritised.
Malawi developed its first foreign policy in 2000 and although its five-year span expired in 2005, the country has failed to review the policy over the years.
Previously, the country had no written foreign policy and relied on spontaneous presidential decrees and pronouncements for its foreign policy actions. n
