Maputo — PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete is expected to meet with his Malawian counterpart, Joyce Banda, in Maputo, Mozambique on the sidelines of the ongoing SADC summit.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Bernard Membe told reporters on Friday shortly after meeting with Malawian Foreign Minister, Ephraim Chiume.
He said the two heads of state's discussion will among other things focus in the two countries' efforts to resolve the border dispute between the nations amicably.
The Malawian president Joyce Banda said on Wednesday that her country will not "go to war" with Tanzania over a border dispute in Lake Malawi, now poised to become a new oil and gas frontier.
"Even if the diplomatic route fails, it does not necessarily mean we will go to war with our brothers and sisters in Tanzania because we can resort to other channels to solve the matter," Banda told reporters in her first public reaction to the issue.
Tanzania wants a halt to oil exploration in the northeast part of the lake to pave way for talks to resolve the dispute. The border dispute erupted after Malawi last year issued a licence to British firm Surestream Petroleum to prospect for hydrocarbons.
Banda came to power in April after the death of president Bingu wa Mutharika, whose administration awarded the licence. "Much as it is a well-known fact that the lake belongs to Malawi, we will engage our Tanzanian counterparts and resolve our differences diplomatically and amicably," she said.
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