According to the President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe, any current international issues should be resolved through diplomacy and cooperation.
President of the Senate of Zimbabwe Mabel Chinomona spoke at a Federation Council meeting as part of her official visit to Russia at the invitation of Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko. She commended the Russian Federation’s tireless support for Zimbabwe, the spirit of camaraderie and the pursuit of justice.
She said her country is well aware of the geopolitical and historical setting in which the Ukrainian conflict is unfolding. “Since the end of the Cold War, the West has constantly attempted to undermine Russia’s peaceful existence as a sovereign state through decisive and calculated actions to expand NATO to the Russian Federation’s very doorstep,” she said.
Mabel Chinomona said that Western sanctions against Russia were illegal and unfair, and Zimbabwe, which is a victim of sanctions, too, knows it is not a way to resolve conflicts. “Zimbabwe does not support the unilateral sanctions against Russia or any other UN member. Multilateralism, diplomacy, cooperation are tools to resolve any existing issues, and we need to use them for this purpose.”
The ties between the two countries are on the rise, the Zimbabwean politician noted. “I highly value our friendship, which relies on strong economic and political ties.” The head of the upper house of the Zimbabwean Parliament described the first Russia-Africa summit in October 2019 as a historic event and stressed that Harare appreciates Moscow’s willingness to extend a helping hand and create opportunities for trade with African countries without any additional conditions.
According to Mabel Chinomona, Africa, as an important player on the world stage, can open up new business opportunities, especially in such areas as digital technologies, education, security and healthcare.
In this regard, she specifically focused on the prospects for Russian-Zimbabwean economic cooperation. Considering the close ties between our two countries, the politician invited Russian businesses to contribute to the acceleration of Zimbabwe’s industrialisation and transformation. According to Mabel Chinomona, direct investment in pharmaceuticals, energy, fertilisers and heavy engineering equipment are especially important. “I am pleased to note a serious increase in investment from the Russian Federation in such areas as education, mining and agriculture,” she said. She also has great hopes for the newly created Russia-Zimbabwe Business Council, which, according to her, has a lot of work to do.
Mabel Chinomona also thanked the Russian Federation for providing a quota for Zimbabwean students at Russian universities and training Zimbabwean university professors. She highlighted education in the field of agriculture, engineering and technology.
The Zimbabwean politician noted that interparliamentary relations between the two countries have reached a new level, thanks to, among other things, the mutual visits of legislators, and called for continued exchanges of parliamentary delegations at the committee level. She believes this should lead to the development of a system for monitoring bilateral relations in order to track achievements and improve coordination. The day before, Mabel Chinomona and Valentina Matvienko signed the Agreement on Interparliamentary Cooperation between the Federation Council and the Senate of Zimbabwe, which should pave the way for this cooperation.