Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Editor
ZIMBABWE and Russia continue to strengthen their longstanding bilateral relations as the country’s engagement and re-engagement foreign policy continues to yield positive results, expressing optimism of a shared prosperous future.
Under the Second Republic, Zimbabwe’s foreign doctrine is one anchored on six key pillars that include the Zimbabwe is Open for Business mantra, Chimurenga Chepfungwa, and a friend to all and enemy to none.
The doctrine has managed to drive the country’s socio-economic and political journey.
Within these engagements globally, one with the Russian Federation has stood the test of time through the days of the liberation struggle to current engagements in the economic landscape.
Last year, President Emerson Mnangagwa visited Russia where he joined his counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, in celebrating 80 years since the end of the Great War.
He said these engagements are critical in pushing engagements that drive the people’s sustainable livelihoods as well as the country’s economic growth.
“In the spirit of collective remembrance of the fallen, the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, Zimbabwe further honours and salutes the immense sacrifices borne by the Russian Federation and it is peoples in pursuit of freedom and world peace, which we all now enjoy. We value the opportunity to once again hold discussions to deepen and strengthen our existing bilateral cooperation following our last meeting in St. Petersburg in June 2024,” President Mnangagwa said.
With 2026 marking 45 years since the start of diplomatic engagements between Harare and Moscow, Russia’s top diplomat in Harare, His Excellency Nikolai Krasilnikov, said as the two countries continue to journey forward, engagements in health, education and mining are critical.
“This year, in February, we will celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations between Zimbabwe and Russia. I would like to emphasise that the development of the bilateral cooperation has been accelerated significantly, starting in 2017 with the coming of the Second Republic, mostly due to the great mutual understanding between President Putin and President Mnangagwa that evolved in strong bonds of true friendship.
“You know that President Mnangagwa visited Russia three times over the past three years and every time he went to my country, he had long and deep discussions with President Putin. Moscow and Harare have been developing and strengthening their relations in various directions, in various spheres for the mutual benefit and prosperity of our brotherly nations. We see that the chemistry which exists between our leaders, it goes beyond the highest level of engagement. We enjoy this chemistry on a high level between common people, representatives of business communities, various government offices,
“One of the key factors of such a process is the directive proclaimed by President Mnangagwa that Zimbabwe is open for business and is ready to engage and re-engage with all nations interested in doing the same. So, it’s not just a political slogan, it’s an impulse that makes people and companies move faster, not only in Zimbabwe, but in other countries interested in doing business with Zimbabwe,” the Russian Ambassador to Zimbabwe said.
Your Excellency, you speak of Zimbabwe’s being open for business. How have Russian companies fared in operating in the country and the business environment? How many are currently operating in Zimbabwe?
“Well, there are three groups of companies from Russia operating in Zimbabwe and they do it in three domains. We have Alrosa, the major diamond producer in the world. They have been operating here through the joint venture for about seven years. They focus their attention on exploration and last year they expanded the scope of their activity here by exploring gold as well as diamonds. I would like to emphasise that Alrosa enjoys great support from the government offices, from the parliament, from local authorities, and local communities living where they operate.
“One of the key priorities in the framework of our bilateral relations is health care and cooperation in the field of medicine. Last year, we concluded a government-to-government agreement in this field, and we are very proud that Russia is a major partner of Zimbabwe in establishing the National Air Ambulance Service, the first of its kind in Africa. Russian pilots and Russian medics, together with Russia-trained Zimbabwean pilots and medics, operate a fleet of helicopters delivered by one of the leading Russian companies, Rostec, about two years ago. And they operate in various parts of the country, noted.
Building on these 45 years of diplomatic arrangements, the business framework that already exists between the two countries, what can we expect in 2026?
“This year, we should expect the meeting of the bilateral commission. We call it the bilateral commission on economic trade, scientific and technical cooperation. The last time it was convened in Moscow in 2024. So, this year, we will have it here in Zimbabwe. The bilateral commission is the major mechanism of coordination between government offices of implementation of various projects in not only in the economic sphere, but also in humanitarian matters.
“The most important thing is that it enables government offices to engage with the business community to analyse what the challenges are, what the problems are, and how we can move forward to facilitate our cooperation and achieve tangible results. And if we take a broader scope of international relations where Russia and Zimbabwe participate, this year we expect the third summit of Russia and Africa Partnership Forum to be held in one of the African countries for the first time.
“You know that two previous summits were held in Russia, in Sochi, in Saint Petersburg. Zimbabwean participation was crucial for the success of these events and after the Cairo conference, ministerial conference, that took place in Egypt in December, we have some certain reasons to believe that Zimbabwe may be one of the very strong candidates to convene such an event, such a forum, a Russia-Africa summit. We’ll see,” H.E Krasilnikov said.
A relationship born from the liberation struggle, Zimbabwe and Russia have continued to work together in areas spanning education, mining, information, communication, technology, as well as the health sector in a way that is able to drive the economic agenda of these countries.
