Story by John Nhandara
THE maiden state visit of Belarus President, His Excellency Alexander Lukashenko to sub-Saharan Africa has been described as a seal of approval on Zimbabwe as a strategic nation in the global development matrix.
The visit has excited Zimbabweans, amid prospects of the scaling up of relations between the two nations.
Public policy expert, Dr Victor Mapuvire says Mr Lukasheko’s scheduled visit means a lot to Zimbabwe economically as Belarus is already a key partner in the country’s developmental matrix.
“Zimbabwe’s relationship with Belarus has been making great strides ever since the dawn of the New Dispensation starting from 2019 when the President made his first visit to Belarus. We have been getting into bilateral agreements with Belarus starting with the resuscitation of ZUPCO spearheaded by the President’s engagement and re-engagement agenda. So far we have seen the resuscitation of Zimbabwe’s transport induatry, the mining as well as the Agricultural sector,” he said.
Dr Mapuvire also explained the geopolitical implication of the visit by the Belarus President to Zimbabwe and sub-Saharan Africa.
“The geopolitical implications is that we have seen the world changing towards the east and inclusivity and Belarus being part of an Eastern European nation it means Zimbabwe is grasping with the rest of the world. We are re-engaging with the West, but also engaging with new economic partners such as Belarus who are a face to reckon with, who we can not ignore,” he added.
The visit comes on the back of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s trip to Minsk in 2019, which gave birth to several agreements in the transport, agriculture and other sectors.
