The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO) has expressed condolences to the family and friends of the late Ambassador Hanno Burkhard Rumpf. In a statement Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says Rumpf has served Namibia and its people before and after independence with single-minded dedication. Nandi-Ndaitwah described Rumpf as a brave man whose principles refused for him to be conscripted into the apartheid army to fight against his own people. Nandi-Ndaitwah says Ambassador Rumpf was a consummate diplomat and skilful negotiator who served Namibia with distinction. “During his diplomatic tours, he endeared himself as a gentle giant both intellectually and through the warmth of his caring character to his peers and interlocuters at all levels. Through his unshaken and principled dedication and commitment to serving the people and government of Namibia, he distinguished himself as a forceful and ardent voice and promoter for socio-economic development, progress and well-being of the people of his country,” said Nandi-Ndaitwah. Rumpf served as Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, with concurrent accreditation to the Federal Republic of Austria and the United Nations in Vienna. He also served as Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels and the Benelux countries, before retiring in 2015. Since his retirement in 2015, he continued to impart his vast knowledge and diplomatic expertise to the Ministry and served as a member of the Namibia Association of Retired Ambassadors, until the time of his demise. Ambassador Rumpf, Nandi-Ndaitwah says, was a man of peace who was dedicated to the wellbeing of the Namibian people. Rumpf will be remembered at MIRCO as a hardworking, friendly person, whose dedication and commitment over his career has contributed towards shaping Namibia’s diplomacy and International Relations, particularly in strengthening bilateral relations between Namibia and the EU, at an economic level.