The Sunday News
Harare Bureau
The country will continue engaging the West until all sanctions are lifted, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo has said.
Pressure on the United States of America to lift sanctions on vulnerable nations continues to grow after the World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, recently implored Washington to remove the embargo, which is weakening the country’s response to the pandemic. The United Nations and the African Union similarly made the same exhortation recently.
Presenting the latest decisions from Cabinet last week, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Dr Moyo had told Cabinet that Zimbabwe will not relent in its efforts to push for the removal of the embargo.
“Pertaining to re-engaging the West, Cabinet was informed that the Ministry (of Foreign Affairs and International Trade) will continue to re-engage the EU and the USA until sanctions are totally removed,” Minister Mutsvangwa said.
Dr Moyo, she added, had indicated that the African Union (AU) was unequivocal in calling for the removal of the 19-year-old sanctions.
“The Minister informed Cabinet as follows . . . that the President had attended the AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 9 to 10 February 2020, where the AU had made a blanket resolution calling for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.”
Minister Moyo also told Cabinet that significant headway in diplomatic engagements had been made since the beginning of the year.
“On enhancing the country’s image, His Excellency the President had hosted an interactive New Year Reception for diplomats; the minister held diplomatic briefings with all European ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe; and the Deputy Minister (David Musabayana) held five interviews in South Africa to enhance the image of the country.”
In a major milestone, China’s State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi — whose deputation sought to enhance bilateral relations between Harare and Beijing — visited the country in January for high-level discussions. The visit was part of his five-country tour of Africa.
This year, President Mnangagwa, who is also chair of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation, attended the inauguration of his Mozambican counterpart President Filipe Nyusi on January 15 2020, where he also held a meeting to cement the strong relations that exist between the two countries. He also similarly attended the inauguration of the Namibian President Hage Geingob on 21 March 2020.
Relations with Botswana continued to deepen, as the Second Session of the Zimbabwe-Botswana Bi-National Commission was held in Gaborone in February this year.
President Mnangagwa and his Botswana counterpart, President Mokgweetsi Masisi, witnessed the signing of one agreement and six Memoranda of Understanding aimed at further strengthening economic cooperation between the two sister republics. The country also successfully co-ordinated the hosting of the 6th Session of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in Victoria Falls in February.
