THE President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi’s, is expected to visit Zimbabwe for the first time today as part of his tour of Africa.
Zimbabwe and Iran already enjoy excellent relations and the two nations would use the visit to further cement bilateral ties.
In a statement yesterday, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ministry spokesperson, Mr Livit Mugejo, said the visit was aimed at deepening relations with African countries as an important foreign policy priority.
He said President Raisi embarked on the tour of selected regional states following invitation by his counterparts in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda.
Mr Livit Mugejo
The purpose of this visit is to strengthen bonds with friendly and aligned countries, diversify Iran’s export destinations and create more grounds for political and commercial cooperation, said Mr Mugejo.
During his visit, he said, President Raisi is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with President Mnangagwa, who has on countless occasions declared that Zimbabwe is open for business.
President Raisi is also expected to sign several MoUs with Zimbabwe as the two nations deepen their ties. Zimbabwe and Iran established diplomatic relations in February 1983 and over the years, bilateral ties have grown tremendously underpinned by shared aspirations and mutual support including at the international level.
“Under the Second Republic, Zimbabwe has dispatched several high-level delegations to Iran as part of efforts to consolidate our gains while leveraging on the existing, solid political foundation,” said Mr Mugejo.
Similarly, Iran has also sent several high-level missions to Zimbabwe in the spirit of growing relations further.
President Raisi’s State Visit comes against the backdrop of the 8th and 9th Sessions of the Zimbabwe-Iran Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC), held in August 2022 in Harare and Tehran in February this year.
At these two JPCC’s, Zimbabwe and Iran committed to intensify cooperation across various sectors including trade, commerce, agriculture, mining, health and energy, among others.
“The State visit to Zimbabwe by H.E. Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi will consolidate the gains of our longstanding relationship, in fulfilment of our win-win cooperation,” said Mr Mugejo.
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mr Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said President Raisi’s Africa tour was significant.
“Iran’s contribution to and participation in Africa’s growing economy will expand exponentially. The transfer of Iran’s indigenous technology and science to Africa constitutes one of the priorities of cooperation during President Raisi’s tour,” he said.
“In general, the present strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards Africa is based on deepening economic relations on the basis of South-South cooperation.
“Fortunately, last year, multiple increases were registered in Iran’s commercial transactions with Africa as a result of the successful economic diplomacy of the incumbent Iranian government.”
Mr Amir-Abdollahian said Africa was the world’s largest continent after Asia and enjoys a special global political and economic significance in various aspects.
He said economic opportunities in various sectors such as public services, ports, mines, oil and gas, agriculture, and tourism have grabbed the attention and investment of leading industrial countries in Africa in recent years.
Mr Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic Republic of Iran devoted special attention to establishing relations with other African nations, thanks to its freedom-seeking and anti-imperialistic nature.
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