Defence minister in Belarus for military exhibition

Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent

MINISTER of Defence and War Veterans Affairs Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri is on a four-day visit to Belarus dur­ing which she will attend the 11th International Exhibition on Arms and Military Machin­ery (MILEX-2023) which started in the capital city, Minsk from yesterday and is expected to end on Saturday.

The exhibition is a platform in which companies that are involved in the development of defence technology will showcase their products.

It will also demonstrate the intellectual and industrial capabilities of the defence sector of the economy of the Republic of Belarus and other countries.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs said the visit seeks to deepen bilateral ties between Harare and Minsk at diplo­matic level.

“Minister Muchinguri, who arrived in Minsk on Tuesday morning, is on an official trip that runs until 20 May.

“She is expected meet the Belarusian Minister of Defence, General Victor Khrenin and the Minister of State Authority for Military Industry, Mr Dmitry Pantus on the side-lines of the Exhibition to discuss matters of mutual interest.

“The visit by the Defence Minister follows an invitation by her counterpart to attend the defence exhibition. It comes barely three months after a state visit to Zimbabwe by Belarusian President Alex­ander Lukashenko in January.”

The Ministry said the visit by the Belarusian President and his delegation culminated in the signing of various agree­ments and Memoranda of Understanding.

“These agreements included cooperation in polit­ical and diplomatic spheres, trade, agricultural, military, healthcare and medical sci­ence, investment, energy, equipment supplies and maintenance.

The visit by the Belarusian delegation in January was fol­lowed up through a reciprocal visit by a high-level delegation from Zimbabwe that was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in March.

“The Defence Ministry was represented in that delega­tion, by Air Vice Marshal Biltim Chingono.

“So the visit by Zimbabwe’s Defence Minister is aimed at strengthening the existing relations between the two countries and to explore new areas of mutual interest,” said the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs.

Yesterday, Minister Muchin­guri-Kashiri met Belarus Defence Minister and is tomorrow expected to meet that country’s Minister of State Authority for Military Industry.

She is also expected to visit the Military Academy of Bela­rus tomorrow.