Khama rubbishes claims
Former President, Ian Khama has dismissed claims that he had wanted to meet President of the Republic of Estonia, Alar Karis ahead of the latter's four days state visit in Botswana.
Karis and First Lady, Sirje Karis began their state visit to Botswana on Monday, where they were welcomed at the airport with a traditional ceremony and a presentation of local song and dance. News broke this week that
Khama had wanted to meet Karis before he met President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Khama and Masisi have not seen eye to eye since 2018 and Masisi has recently dismissed any attempts for their reconciliation. Khama, when confronted with the news this week after Masisi and Karis held a joint press conference at Office of the President, vehemently denied the claim.
“I want to also make it very clear that even during my visit to Estonia, I never made attempts to meet the Estonian President. I did not even know about the Estonian President's visit. On another note, how would I meet him as everyone knows I'm not in Botswana?” he asks, in response to enquiries by Botswana Guardian Newspaper.
He added that the only person he met in Estonia is the Prime Minister, not the President.
“This is yet another desperate attempt by CAVA to discredit me, one would ask himself a simple question; why would I want to meet him in the first place, who requested for that meeting on my behalf? I know this is election year and the media back home, you will be fed all sorts of lies about me. I am not shocked by this development. I am focused on what I do. All those attempts will not save the current regime from being removed from government through the ballot,” he stated.
Khama is currently in Ghana attending to the Africa Heritage Museum Fund raising gala dinner, among others.
Estonia has made remarkable progress in transforming into one of the world’s most digitally advanced societies, boasting Europe’s most start-ups per capita with successful companies such as Skype, Bolt and Wise, and 99 per cent of public services available online.
Located by the Baltic Sea in Europe, bordering Latvia to the south, Russia to the east, and across the sea from Sweden to the west and Finland to the north, Estonia is reputed to be a modern democracy and is ranked by the World Bank as a high-income country.