The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Correspondent
SWITZERLAND is confident of Zimbabwe’s future and will do all it can to aid development in the country, outgoing Swiss Ambassador to Zimbabwe Niculin Jaeger has said.
To this end, Switzerland has developed a new bilateral cooperation programme between the two countries, which is expected to start bearing fruit soon.
Speaking at the Swiss National Day reception in Harare on Friday, where he also bade farewell after recently completing his tenure in the country, Ambassador Jaeger said Zimbabwe is a priority for cooperation in food security, health, social protection, climate change and governance.
“Forty two years of bilateral relations also mark the beginning of a new bilateral cooperation programme between Switzerland and Zimbabwe that my team has developed. The implementation of a consistent legal framework from taxation to investments in agriculture and industry will be key. We continue to support initiatives such as devolution that aims to bring governance closer to the people and enhance their participation in daily political processes,” he said.
Ambassador Jaeger said Switzerland continues to be a dependable partner to Zimbabwe’s democratisation and development agenda.“And this is why we are present with our programmes in the four corners of Zimbabwe, ranging from demining in the Sengwe Corridor at the border with Mozambique- giving back access to the land for the local farmers while offering a safe passage for animals supporting transnational tourism.
“Tourism is one of the pillars of economic development and the presence of Swiss companies in Victoria Falls are testimony of it,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Deputy Minister, Dr David Musabayana, said the two countries share cordial relations and communication channels have been kept at the highest level.
“It is noteworthy that even during trying times for our country, unlike some Western countries that took offence with Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Programme and burned bridges with Zimbabwe, Switzerland remained robustly engaged with this country. The Zimbabwe Government deeply appreciates that Switzerland remained true to its centuries-old tradition of neutrality and gave us constructive counsel and support as “a neutral bridge-builder”,” he said.
Dr Musabayana expressed gratitude to Swiss companies for viewing Zimbabwe as a safe and conducive investment destination saying this was validation that the country is open for business.
Swiss companies are among the leading European investors in Zimbabwe with investments that span across the agricultural, manufacturing, industry, food processing and tourism sectors.
