The European Union (EU) refuted claims that its heads of missions were discussing governance matters during their recent meeting with the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC).
This comes after German ambassador Thorsten Hutter hosted a lunch meeting in honour of IPC leader Panduleni Itula on behalf of the EU in Windhoek on Tuesday
The meeting, attended by ambassadors from Spain, Portugal, France, and Finland, was deemed “unusual” in terms of diplomatic protocol and etiquette, as discussions included the upcoming elections and IPC’s strategies to address grievances among liberation struggle fighters, reads a statement by IPC.
The meeting was met with strong criticism from both the government and Swapo.
EU ambassador to Namibia Ana-Beatriz Martins says in the statement that the delegation had an informal lunch to discuss the situation in Namibia, including, among others, Itula’s election campaign.
“Naturally, the EU heads of Missions did not discuss matters that fall within the purview of the government of Namibia, nor did we comment on, or prejudge the outcome of any election,” Martins says.
She adds that this is part of the EU’s general engagement with relevant actors in Namibia, as is normal for all diplomatic missions to perform.
“The EU and its member states enjoy a warm and longstanding relationship with Namibia based on shared values and mutual respect,” Martins says.
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