Dear VTR researcher,

A few months ago (February) the Swiss president Mr Alain Berset came to visit Botswana, it was the first official visit of a Swiss president in Botswana. The VTR facility was on his list of places to visit, but time did not allow him and his team to venture so deep in the bush, maybe next time. A few weeks later, early May, the president of Botswana Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi visited Switzerland, it was also the first time a president from Botswana came to visit Switzerland. President Masisi enjoyed his stay in the Swiss confederation and said that he had found many similarities between Botswana and Switzerland, especially on its economic development and geopolitical situation. We hope both countries will continue developing constructive relationship in the coming years. As the managers of the VTR center, Rita and I are working with both delegations to foster closer scientific exchanges between both countries.

On the research side I hope your respective studies are producing satisfactory results. A team from the university of Lausanne is planning in the region of Chobe a six-week field campaign in August -September in the domain of hydrogeology and isotopic dendrochronology.

Finally, in September a visit to the Botswana International University for Science and Technology is planned with the former vice chairman of the university of Lausanne and Emeritus Prof Eric.P. Verrecchia to develop the existing partnership between the university of Lausanne, BIUST and the VTR research center.

I wish you a good beginning of summer or winter in your corresponding hemisphere.

Dr. John Van Thuyne