MINSK, 18 February (BelTA) – The visit of the Zimbabwean parliament delegation to Belarus vividly demonstrates the political will of the parliaments of the two countries to reinforce ties of friendship and cooperation in the spirit of the high political relations that have evolved between Belarus and Zimbabwe. Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Natalya Kochanova made the statement as she met with a delegation of the Zimbabwean parliament led by President of the parliament’s Senate Mabel Memory Chinomona, BelTA has learned.
The head of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament noted that she remembers with fondness the first meeting with the senate’s president on the sidelines of the 4th Eurasian Women’s Forum in St. Petersburg in September 2024. The bilateral agenda was discussed during the meeting. The parties talked over prospects of invigorating the interparliamentary dialogue among other things.
“I am very glad that our agreements are being implemented. We consider your visit as a landmark event. It vividly demonstrates the political will of the parliaments of Belarus and Zimbabwe to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation in the spirit of the high political relations that have evolved between our countries,” said Natalya Kochanova.
Belarus and Zimbabwe are bound by good friendly relations, which develop dynamically at all levels today. This is primarily due to the leaders of the states Aleksandr Lukashenko and Emmerson Mnangagwa, noted the chairwoman of the Council of the Republic. In her words, it is the personal contacts between the heads of state that are the driving force behind Belarusian-Zimbabwean cooperation, which has reached a strategic level today.
Belarus and Zimbabwe have signed a roadmap for strategic cooperation and partnership for the next five years (2026-2030), which covers various areas. The speaker of the Council of the Republic noted that this document also affects the parliamentary dimension and that the visit of Zimbabwean parliamentarians represents a practical contribution to the implementation of the roadmap.
“Belarus seeks to establish contacts with African countries on the basis of honest relations and mutual trust. I think you have been able to see the seriousness of our intentions and our reliability as a partner in a series of successfully implemented projects,” Natalya Kochanova emphasized.
During the meeting the parties discussed the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with Zimbabwe in trade, economy and investment. The role of parliamentarians was emphasized. The importance of cooperation in agriculture and of the mechanization of agricultural enterprises was noted. Attention was also drawn to the enormous potential for the development of industrial cooperation in various sectors.
According to the speaker of the Council of the Republic, Belarus is ready to continue helping Zimbabwe with the development of its healthcare system and can supply medications, medical consumables, and equipment that meet international quality standards. Belarus can share its experience in training medical personnel, introducing modern diagnostic and treatment technologies, and developing pharmaceutical production.
Apart from that, good prospects for the development of cooperation in the chemical industry, power engineering and tourism have been noted. There is interest in developing cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.
The chairwoman of the Council of the Republic noted that the Belarusian side would be glad to continue cooperation not only in the bilateral format, but also on interparliamentary platforms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network (NAM PN), and the Pan-African Parliament, in which Belarus will receive observer status in 2024.
In her conversation with journalists President of the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe Mabel Memorial Chinomona noted the strong friendship between the countries. She emphasized that today’s meeting focused on strengthening relations in existing areas of cooperation. The Senate president admitted that she was impressed by the fact that this year has been declared the Year of the Belarusian Woman in Belarus. She noted that the president of Zimbabwe also cares about women, who now live under the slogan “No one will be left behind.”
As a result of the meeting a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe. This document enshrines the goodwill for deeper cooperation and is expected to take interparliamentary interaction to a completely new level.
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