Malawi backs Zim on sanctions removal

Mukudzei Chingwere Herald Reporter

Illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe are also hurting neighbouring countries and should be removed for the benefit of all, especially of innocent Zimbabweans so as to allow the country to compete fairly in global trade, the Malawian Government has said.

The remarks were made by the Malawian envoy to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Annie Kamwenda, after her farewell courtesy call on Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava.

“Most importantly, we have also talked of the imposed sanctions,” said Ambassador Kamwenda.

“As Malawi Government we continue to stand with Zimbabwe in asking those who are still imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe to lift those sanctions because these sanctions do not only affect Zimbabwe but they affect the neighbouring countries.

“We are standing together with SADC and all the other countries with AU to call for the abolition of sanctions and let Zimbabwe participate in any other opportunities,” she said.

Ambassador Kamwenda has been here for six years and said she and minister reflected on a number of successful diplomatic engagements especially on the economic front.

She said her Government has entered and committed to work with a Zimbabwean irrigation company.

“There are so many memorandum of understanding signed between Zimbabwe and Malawi,” said Ambassador Kamwenda.

“The recent one just yesterday, there was an MoU which was signed between Zimbabwe’s local irrigation company, Maka irrigation, with the Ministry of Agriculture in Malawi to help Malawi in irrigation in terms of providing technical expertise and also provision for facilities for irrigation. The company itself will be responsible for the production of soya, wheat and the Malawi Government has provided land to the company for that.”

She thanked the Government of Zimbabwe for facilitating smooth immigration protocols for the returning residents of Malawi during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ambassador Kamwenda acknowledged the testing regimes and the care given to those in need by the country’s health system.