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Hon Mabel Chinomana, Zimbabwe’s Senate President addressed the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation during the state visit to the European country.
The legislator hailed the privilege to be accorded the rare opportunity to address the Russian August House.
“I would like to express my gratitude for your invitation and for the honour and hospitalities attached. Madame Speaker, allow me to extend fraternal greetings from the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, and the people of Zimbabwe.
“The Russian Federation has stood with the people of Zimbabwe during our most trying times and continues to stand with us. Without support from Russia, our independence would not have been achieved. Today, as we face illegal sanctions imposed on the people of Zimbabwe by the West, the Russian Federation continues to stand with us, with the same resolve, comradeship, and determination for justice. It is, therefore, only proper that I express my sincere gratitude and that of the people of Zimbabwe, to the government and the people of Russia for their unwavering support,” Hon Chinomona said.
Zimbabwe is acutely aware of the geopolitics and the historical context that forms the background to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. It is not lost on us that the Russian Federation and Ukraine share a historical umbilical cord that stretches back for hundreds of years,” she said.
The Senate President delved into history and reflected that one cannot talk of the genesis of Russian history, culture, and religion without reference to the yesteryear city called Kievan-Rus which is now Kyiv, the current capital city of Ukraine.
She underscored that it is from that yesteryear city that the history, culture, and religion of Russia spread to the rest of Russia. The port of Sevastopol, in Crimea, hosts the mighty Russian Black Sea Fleet. It is, therefore, quite clear to all, that the Russian Federation has historical and security interests in that region.
In light of the above, she said Zimbabwe is aware of the ongoing attempts, since the end of the cold war, by the West, to undermine Russia’s peaceful existence as a sovereign state. This has been executed through a calculated and determined expansion of their western alliance to the very doorsteps of the Russian Federation, culminating in the current conflict, she said.
“The response by the west was expected. They have made spirited attempts to vilify the Russian Federation including the imposition of unilateral sanctions on Russia. Being a victim of sanctions ourselves, Zimbabwe does not believe this is the route to take in addressing the situation. Our President, His Excellency, Dr. Mnangagwa has called for the resolution of the conflict in accordance with the UN Charter, notably its provisions on the peaceful settlement of conflicts. Zimbabwe remains a strong believer in the UN Charter and all its principles and purposes, including the peaceful settlement of disputes. Zimbabwe does not support the unilateral imposition of sanctions against Russia or any member of the United Nations.
“Multilateralism, Diplomacy, and engagement must be given a chance to resolve the matters. The relations between our two countries have continued to grow from strength to strength. I applaud our friendship which is anchored on strong political and economic relations aimed toward poverty reduction, development, and economic growth.”
In that respect, the first Russia-Africa Summit, held in October 2019, was a historic event that emphasized, among other things, state sovereignty and Russia’s willingness to offer aid and trade deals to African countries without any conditions attached.
Africa remains a crucial player in the emerging new geopolitical order due to its strategic natural resources and emerging business opportunities. The recently held 2023 Russia-Africa Conference provided another opportunity to strengthen multilateral cooperation, especially in the areas of digital technology, education, security, and healthcare. Zimbabwe, as a member of the African Union, stands to benefit significantly from these relations.
It is in that regard that the Senate President called for a further strengthening of these relations as they stand to bring our people closer.
Zimbabwe’s foreign policy is anchored on peaceful coexistence and international engagement, as propounded in the President’s mantra “Zimbabwe is open for business.”
Zimbabwe has witnessed significant investments from the Russian Federation in sectors such as mining, education, and agriculture.
Business persons from our two countries were called upon to continue to develop strong strategic business engagements and partnerships to exploit the vast business opportunities that are abundant in the two countries.
Zimbabwe launched Vision 2030 at the inception of the New Dispensation, which aims at an “Empowered and Prosperous Upper Middle-Income Society by 2030.”
This will be anchored on, among other initiatives, increased trade between the two countries. Trade between the two countries has been increasing at an annualized rate of 18.4 percent in the past decade. Many business opportunities exist in various sectors, including mining, manufacturing, finance, tourism and hospitality, and education.
Russia’s expertise and partnership in the areas of engineering and technology are valuable to boost Zimbabwe’s industrialization and development agenda. The Russian Federation has been providing various scholarships to young Zimbabweans in different fields to enable them to contribute to national development. These scholarships have helped a lot in strengthening Zimbabwe’s national capabilities, especially in the areas of agriculture, engineering, and technology. A number of lecturers in Zimbabwe were trained in Russia.
That support is timeous as Zimbabwe is implementing Education 5.0 whose aim is to expedite the modernization and industrialization of the Zimbabwean economy.
In an endeavor to strengthen the country’s attractiveness to foreign direct investment, Zimbabwe has been undergoing economic reforms. These have mainly centered on legislative reforms aimed at easing the environment for businesses to thrive in.
In that regard, a number of legislations have been amended and these include the Companies and Other Business Entities Act, the Zimbabwe Investment Authority Act, and the Special Economic Zones Act. As part of ease-ofdoing business reforms, the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) was established to provide a one-stop shop facility for processing potential investments into Zimbabwe.
This has significantly reduced the number of days required to get all the necessary documentation to do business in Zimbabwe to less than 15 days. We continue to work towards reducing the figure to single digits. Part of these reforms are being implemented under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the target is sustaining a growth of above 5 percent driven by agriculture, mining, electricity, and manufacturing.
