Story by Panashe Nagoli
SPAIN has signalled renewed interest in strengthening bilateral trade with Zimbabwe following a decline in trade volumes in recent years.
The commitment was underscored during a courtesy call by Spain’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, H.E Lourdes Sangroniz, on Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda at Parliament in Mt Hampden on Wednesday.
Speaking after the closed-door meeting, Ambassador Sangroniz said discussions focused on unlocking new opportunities to grow trade between the two countries.
“We had a beautiful conversation with the Speaker where we looked at possible areas of cooperation between the two countries in areas such as renewable energy, mining and tourism. Trade between the two countries has dropped in recent years, but we also looked at how best we can raise the numbers.”
Zimbabwe and Spain have maintained longstanding diplomatic relations anchored on cooperation in tourism, agriculture, renewable energy, arts and culture.
As a member of the European Union, Spain is viewed as a strategic gateway for expanding Zimbabwe’s trade with the bloc.
Notably, during the inaugural EU-Zimbabwe Business Summit held last year, Spain facilitated the participation of investors who expressed interest in tourism, mining and agriculture, signalling growing appetite for investment despite recent trade declines.
