The Sunday Mail
Richard Muponde
Belarus will open its embassy in Zimbabwe before January 31, 2022 as the two countries continue deepening diplomatic relations.
Zimbabwe opened its honorary consulate in the Eurasian country in September 2019.
The decision to open an embassy in Harare is outlined in Mink’s Council of Ministers’ resolution No.477 of 23 August 2021.
The Belarusian Finance Ministry has since been instructed to allocate the requisite resources.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Permanent Secretary Ambassador James Manzou confirmed the latest development on Friday.
“Yes, it’s true. It’s a decision which was taken by the government of Belarus to open an embassy in Harare early January 2022,” he said.
“The development speaks to the successful re-engagement and engagement with Europe by His Excellency President Mnangagwa after he visited the country in the early stages of the Second Republic.”
Commercial, political and cultural ties between Harare and Minsk received a major boost after President Mnangagwa opened an honorary consulate in central Minsk in 2019.
Businessman Mr Aleksandr Zingman, who has been pushing for stronger ties between the two countries, was appointed the honorary consul.
Current cooperation covers mining, science, technology and innovation, trade and economic cooperation, procurement of agri-equipment and fertiliser supply.
President Mnangagwa also secured a US$120 million export credit facility for machinery and equipment for agriculture, dam construction and mining.
