President Mnangagwa arrived back home last night from the
74th Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York,
United States of America, where he joined other Heads of State and Government
to discuss global issues.
He met World Food Programme (WFP) executive director Mr
David Beasley and several other dignitaries.
The President also addressed several business meetings to
lure investors.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF)
was welcomed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Vice President
Kembo Mohadi, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah
Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of State Security Owen Ncube, Chief Secretary to
the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, Service Chiefs and other
high-ranking Government officials.
In an interview at the airport, Foreign Affairs and
International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso
Moyo described the visit to the UN as a success.
“This was again one of the major successes scored by
Zimbabwe. The whole UN agenda was to review the achievement of Sustainable
Development Goals and these were found to be important that they must be
enacted within the strategic plan of member countries,” said Dr Moyo.
“It was quite apparent from the President’s speech that
Zimbabwe had managed to embed within the Transitional Stabilisation Programme
(TSP)and five-year development programme that all these SDGs could be achieved.
“The second point is that we managed to communicate the
fact that Zimbabwe was now a going concern emanating from a very dilapidated
background which was characterised by isolation to a major reform with both
political and legislative reforms.
“That message was put across by the President. There were a
number of senior official meetings where they were evaluating the SDGs.”
He said President Mnangagwa took the re-engagement thrust
to the UN, adding that many businesspeople that interacted with President
Mnangagwa ended up asking why sanctions still remain in place.
“Above all the President managed to continue with his
programme of re-engagement particularly with different communities. He met
Americans not only from a political perspective but business, Americans who
were actually committed. He addressed business meetings where he would have
been invited, this is why a lot of businesspeople were questioning the
relevance of sanctions, why sanctions are still there yet there are
opportunities which could be benefitted by corporates.
“I am happy to say a lot of other member states of SADC stood
the test of time according to an agreement made in Tanzania calling for the
removal of sanctions; there was quite a lot of interest from the whole spectrum
of interests, from Israelites, Norway after President (Mnangagwa) met Norwegian
Prime Minister.
“There was quite an indication that there is a big
corporate coming to Zimbabwe to exploit coalbed methane gas, they are the
experts. This is an area where as a nation we were also going to benefit. I can
assure you that there were more than 100 American corporates addressed by the
President.”
Minister Moyo said Commonwealth secretary general, Mrs
Patricia Scotland expressed optimism that Zimbabwe would be readmitted when the
organisation meet next year in Kigali.
President Mnangagwa was also accompanied in new York by
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube, Health and
Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr
John Mangudya. Herald
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