Zim and Belarus sign 8 cooperation agreements

Harare (New Ziana) –Zimbabwe and Belarus on Tuesday signed 8 agreements to cooperate in various areas as the two countries seek to deepen relations and overcome the effects of sanctions which some Western countries imposed on them.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Belarusian counterpart President Alexander Lukashenko witnessed the signing of the agreements by officials from their governments at a ceremony at State House.

The first agreement was on the establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission which Foreign Affairs Minister Frederick Shava and his Belarusian counterpart Segei Aleinik signed on behalf of their governments.

Shava and Aleinik also signed the second agreement on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investment.

The third agreement is on Mutual Recognition of Qualifications, which Shava and the Belarus Education Minister Andrei Ivanets signed on behalf of their governments.

Shava also signed the fourth agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion with Belarusian Minister of Taxation, Aleksandr Chervyakov.

The fifth agreement was on the twinning of the City of Harare with the Belarusian capital Mink which Harare mayor Jacob Mafume signed with his Minsk counterpart Vladmir Kukarev on behalf of their respective local authorities and governments.

Belarusian company Afritrade chief executive officer Olga Shevkov signed the sixth agreement on behalf of her company and government to supply Zimbabwe with tractors and grain harvesting machinery with Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries storage and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka.

Masuka and Shefkov also signed the seventh agreement which is a contract for supplying equipment for the construction and modernisation of grain storage facilities.

The eigth agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation for the supply of machinery and equipment manufactured in Belarus for the timber industry.

Allied Timbers general manager Remigio Manzou and Shevkov signed the MOU on behalf of their companies and governments.

Speaking after the signing ceremony, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the agreements demonstrated the warm relations between the countries and would further strengthen, deepen and consolidate the ties.

He said as a result of the deepening relations, they had agreed to open embassies in the two countries, which were both victims of sanctions imposed by Western countries.

“We are twin sanctions victims,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said as Zimbabwe was moving towards the mechanisation, modernisation and industrialisation of its economy, it wanted to benefit from Belarus, which had a very developed agricultural sector.

He said the two countries had agreed to extend their cooperation from agriculture to other sectors including mining and tourism.

Speaking at the same occasion, President Lukashenko, whose country has already opened an embassy in Harare, said his government expected Zimbabwe to open one in Mink soon and would render the necessary assistance.

He said the potential for cooperation between the countries was very high and required direct contact at various levels would enable utilisation of the agreements.

“It is crucial for Zimbabwe to train specialists in various areas and Belarus is prepared to assist and we will expedite the process as much as possible,” he said.

President Lukashenko said cooperation between the two countries would be based on mutual benefit and not exploitation, as Belarus did not have any colonial motives in its relations with Africa.

“We have very high respect for the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.

Zimbabwe and Belarus have now signed more than 20 agreements as they seek bolster relations and benefit from the opportunities available in each country.

New Ziana