Chronicle Editor
ZIMBABWE last week took its engagement and re-engagement efforts to another level when it held the Second Structured Dialogue Platform Meeting on arrears clearance and debt resolution. The meeting was a follow-up to a similar engagement that was held last December.
The meeting was attended by officials from the African Development Bank (AfDB) led by its president Dr Akinwumi Adesina and former Mozambican President Joachim Chissano who was the high-level facilitator of the engagement meeting.
Addressing the meeting President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was determined to settle its debt to both local and international lenders despite the burden of illegal economic sanctions.
He said the illegal sanctions have seen lines of credit from multilateral banks such as the World Bank being blocked thereby frustrating Government efforts to improve the people’s livelihoods.
President Mnangagwa said despite the illegal sanctions, Zimbabwe is determined to settle its debts hence it has, working with AfDB, come up with the Structured Dialogue Platform to pursue dialogue on arrears clearance and debt resolution.
“The first aspect relates to Economic Reforms, the second is on governance issues while the third relates to commitment to a sustainable land tenure system,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said Government and former commercial farmers have agreed on a compensation package for improvements made on the land and work on mobilising the required resources was underway.
On governance, President Mnangagwa said his Government is unwavering in its adherence to Constitutionalism, the rule of law and the tenets of good governance and democracy.
He said Zimbabwe will this year conduct free and fair elections consistent with its Constitution and electoral laws.
Addressing ambassadors and international organisations accredited to Zimbabwe at another event, President Mnangagwa said the country’s engagements and re-engagement efforts were bearing fruit as evidenced by the partial removal of illegal sanctions by the European Union (EU).
“We are optimistic that the remaining punitive and inhibitive illegal sanctions will be removed. I am grateful that our African brothers continue to stand with us in our call for the immediate and unconditional removal of illegal sanctions,” he said.
We have said it before that given the ongoing political and economic reforms as well as the engagement and re-engagement efforts, there is no justification to continue maintaining the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe.
Call for the unconditional removal of sanctions have come from Sadc, the AU, China, Cuba and the Non-Aligned Movement. All those calling for the unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions are agreed that the sanctions are adversely affecting Zimbabwe’s efforts to grow its economy and improve the welfare of its people.
Online Reporter