ZIMBABWE is edging closer to rejoining the Commonwealth as the bloc warms up to the Second Republic’s re-engagement and engagement drive with President Mnangagwa using his visit to the United Kingdom to attend the coronation of King Charles III, to engage the Commonwealth along with the British Government, businesspeople and others.
The President returned home yesterday and was received at
the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Vice President Constantino
Chiwenga, Zanu-PF Vice-President and Second Secretary Cde Kembo Mohadi,
Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, service
chiefs and other senior Government officials.
In an interview, President Mnangagwa said during his
engagements with both the Commonwealth and the British government, he saw
positive signals.
“We were able to meet the British Minister of African
Affairs and Development (Andrew Mitchell). We had a very long chat and the
indications are that there is a spirit of co-operation developing between
Harare and London, which we will continue to pursue,” the President.
In London, the President also took time to engage with the
Commonwealth and from the meetings he had with the bloc’s Secretary General
Baroness Patricia Scotland and Commonwealth chairperson Rwandan President Paul
Kagame, Zimbabwe is on the cusp of re-joining the group as part of its pillar
foreign policy of engagement and re-engagement.
“Last night (Saturday) I had a meeting with the Secretary
General of the Commonwealth (Lady Scotland). There was a Commonwealth meeting,
which was held because most of the members of the Commonwealth had come for the
coronation, so they met as Commonwealth.
“Thereafter I met with the Secretary-General to discuss
issues about our application. I also met the Chairman of the Commonwealth
President Paul Kagame; the indications are that so far, the signals are
positive,” he said.
Last year, a Commonwealth delegation led by the
organisation’s Assistant Secretary-General, Professor Luis Franceschi, visited
Zimbabwe and acknowledged that Harare had made progress in laying the desired
foundation for re-admittance into the association mainly made up of former
British colonies.
Under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe is
vigorously engaging and re-engaging all nations, and tremendous progress has
been made on that, as shown by the warm welcome the President got from British
royalty between Friday and Saturday.
“We were invited as a country to attend the coronation of
King Charles III and we accepted. We were over 100 Heads of State from Africa,
some monarchies from European countries and of course Latin America.
“On the first day, they gave a reception with Heads of
State; it was an opportunity to interact with the British monarchy. On the
second day it was actually the coronation at the Westminster Abbey, it went
very smoothly,” said the President.
Thus, Zimbabwe’s engagement and re-engagement efforts continue
to bear fruit as evidenced by among other things, the invitation to the United
Kingdom for the first time in over two decades, the partial removal of illegal
sanctions by the European Union, development assistance by the European
Development Fund, and the invitation of Harare for the first time to the
US-Africa summit last year, among others.
In London, the President also took time to market Zimbabwe
to businesspeople who expressed interest to invest in Zimbabwe.
At a meeting with investors, the President outlined the
vast opportunities in sectors of the economy such as mining, infrastructure
development, agriculture and ICT.
In an interview after meeting with the business community,
Minister of Finance and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube, who was
accompanying the President, said there is huge appetite to invest in Zimbabwe
by both British investors and Zimbabweans living in the diaspora.
“His Excellency was able to lead us into a discussion with
investors here in the UK. The investors come from a variety of sectors; mining,
agro-processing technology sector, financial services and infrastructure, right
across the board, it was really pleasing to see this spread of investors.
“His Excellency, with his team, which included myself, were
able to explain to investors the various opportunities that Zimbabwe offers
across the sectors and also the incentives that are available to investors. His
Excellency was able to make it known that indeed Zimbabwe is open for business,
from wherever they come and that investors from the UK are indeed welcome to
Zimbabwe and we notice that they are keen to invest in Zimbabwe and this is
really pleasing,” said Prof Ncube.
President Mnangagwa was also accompanied by Minister of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ambassador Frederick Shava, Deputy
Chief Secretary Mr George Charamba, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana. Herald
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