Blessings Chidakwa-Herald Reporter
DEEPENING diplomatic ties are essential in fostering cooperation among nations and advancing mutual interests, President Mnangagwa has said.
Yesterday, the President received letters of credence from the incoming ambassadors of Uganda, Austria, Mauritania, Vietnam and the Philippines during a ceremony at State House in Harare.
“I am pleased to welcome Ambassador Designates from Austria, Mauritania, Uganda, Vietnam and the Philippines to State House as they present their credentials. Strengthening diplomatic ties is crucial for fostering cooperation and advancing mutual interests,” the President said on his Twitter handle.
After presenting their credentials, the newly accredited diplomats expressed their commitment to strengthening relations and cooperation with Zimbabwe, particularly in the agriculture and mining sectors.
The Second Republic has been on a diplomatic offensive through its engagement and re-engagement drive, which has charmed the world.
In separate interviews, all five diplomats said they would foster the deepening of relations between their countries and Zimbabwe.
Ugandan Ambassador-designate to Zimbabwe, Mr Paul Amoru, said the two countries’ Heads of State had already expressed their commitment towards the bolstering of relations
Preparations for the establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) were already underway.
“There is already a commitment between the president of Uganda and the President of Zimbabwe on three key areas. We are going to work on having a Joint Permanent Commission in the coming months, which allows our departments, ministries and agencies to engage and define specific areas where we can deepen and strengthen government-to-government cooperation.
“We shall also have a Joint Business Forum that will allow the private sector to interact so we will have the business community from Uganda and the business community from Zimbabwe that will interact and be able to promote investment trade, open new markets and have opportunities for collaboration.
“And then the other third area is we shall continue to collaborate with the Government and people of Zimbabwe on several other multilateral issues. As you know Uganda is the current chair of the Non-Aligned Movement and Uganda’s stance is that the world should concentrate on common human problems that are done through the promotion of trade, advancing science and technology, environment, crime, terrorism and the rest,” he said.
Austria’s incoming Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mrs Romana Konigsbrun said the two countries already had cordial relations which she would work on furthering during her tenure.
“Relations between Austria and Zimbabwe are good, cordial, long-standing and one of the many areas for cooperation is in the energy field, renewable energy. There is an Austrian programme under renewable energy where we are training trainers to help with solar, thermal, cooling, heating, so this is a very important project.
“We are also working on EU projects which are on smart agriculture and women empowerment which are all very important topics.”
Mauritania’s newly appointed diplomat, Mr Jarr Inalla, said they were looking to tap into Zimbabwe’s vast agricultural knowledge.
“Mauritania as you know is a bit far away from Zimbabwe but our hearts are very close, so we are dear brothers. In cooperation I think there is a lot that we can do together. Mauritania is a mining country and it is a fishing country, in the agricultural sector we think that we can learn a lot from Zimbabwe’s experience in that field and we can also push for bilateral cooperation in the education sector and science development. There is a lot we can learn from the Zimbabwean side.
“In the mining sector I think our cooperation can be very fruitful to both countries. I just mentioned to the President that Mauritania we are a desert country, 70 percent of our country is a desert and we are importing 70 percent of our needs in agricultural products from other countries and we know that Zimbabwe is a self-sufficient country when it comes to food security. This is an area I think we need to focus on and see what we can do together,” he said.
Vietnam Ambassador-designate to Zimbabwe Mr Hoang Sy Cuong said the two countries had a long history of friendship which he would work on enhancing during his tenure.
“As you know we have more than four decades of official diplomatic bilateral relations between the two countries. I had a cordial talk with the President. I think the two countries have the potential for further cooperation, especially in terms of the economic link. We should try to focus on mining and agriculture cooperation and tourism. I will try my best to do something for this cooperation,” he said
The Philippines’ incoming Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mrs Noralyn Jubaira Baja, said efforts would be made to increase interaction and cooperation between the two countries.
“It is very clear that we need to increase our engagements with Zimbabwe. We are looking to have bilateral consultations in all areas so that we can see how to move forward but we see a lot of potential for cooperation between our two countries particularly in agriculture.”
Herald
