Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo, Harare Bureau
NEWLY accredited Ambassadors to Zimbabwe from Pakistan, Germany and Spain yesterday presented their letters of credence to President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare, with all three pledging to strengthen relations with Harare across multiple sectors during their diplomatic tenures.
Pakistan will be represented by Ambassador Muhammad Amjad Aziz Qazi, Germany by Ambassador Christopher Retzlaff, and Spain by Ambassador Lourdes Sangroniz.
Speaking to the media after his closed-door meeting with the President, Ambassador Qazi said that during his mission, he would work to enhance trade, investment, and economic relations between Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
“I have just held a very constructive and fruitful meeting with the President of Zimbabwe. We discussed the full range of bilateral ties, including areas where we are already excelling and those we wish to build upon. We have very friendly, cordial political ties and robust defence relations.
“I discussed with the President the need to improve trade, economic, and investment ties. As Pakistan’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, I will do my utmost to strengthen relations in all key areas, with a particular focus on trade, investment, and economic matters,” he said.
The Pakistani envoy cited agriculture, infrastructure development, defence and tourism as priority sectors.
“…there is vast potential to be explored between our two countries — in agriculture, infrastructure, defence, ICT, tourism and many other areas. I look forward to a fruitful and promising start here, and to taking our bilateral ties to the next level,” said Ambassador Qazi.
Germany’s Ambassador Retzlaff said he had productive discussions with President Mnangagwa and was ready to hit the ground running in strengthening economic relations between Harare and Berlin.
“I am very much looking forward to my assignment here. I had a very good conversation with His Excellency the President, where we explored areas to intensify our relations. There is significant potential, especially in economic relations. Germany has the strongest economy in the European union and one of the strongest globally,” he said.
The ambassador added that during his tenure, he would promote increased trade and German investment in Zimbabwe. Under the Second Republic, Zimbabwe has seen a notable rise in interest from German investors keen to establish operations in the country.
“Zimbabwe offers great opportunities for mutually beneficial co-operation. It is important that we not only increase trade between Germany and Zimbabwe, but also encourage more German investment — creating jobs, promoting value addition, and supporting local development.
“Beyond economic ties, we can also strengthen people-to-people connections, cultural exchanges and scientific collaboration. I am very much looking forward to my time in this beautiful country with its great people and proud history,” he said.
On her part, Spain’s Ambassador Sangroniz began by expressing gratitude to President Mnangagwa for the warm hospitality extended to her. She conveyed Spain’s interest in maintaining strong political relations with Zimbabwe while ramping up economic cooperation.
“I thank President Mnangagwa for his warm welcome and for positively receiving our suggestions on areas of cooperation. We are keen to maintain our political links and hold regular consultations — the last of which took place in 2023.
“In the economic field, we aim to increase trade and investment between our countries. In tourism, Spain has a thriving industry, having received 85 million tourists in 2024. We are also ready to cooperate in renewable energy, infrastructure, and digitalisation,” she said.
Ambassador Sangroniz said she would also pursue cultural and scientific exchanges with Zimbabwe.
“…last but not least, we will continue to advance our cultural and scientific agenda with Zimbabwe, which has already borne fruit. This will grow through cultural activities and the teaching of our language, Spanish, which is spoken by 600 million people worldwide,” she said.
