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Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
The United States says it is ready to upscale its relations with Zimbabwe and to become a reliable and consistent partner of the country.
Ambassadors-designate Ms Pamela Tremondt from the US, Mr Austin Gormley from Ireland, Mrs Joan Thomas Edwards from Jamaica and Mr Mungkorn Pratoomkaew from Thailand yesterday presented their credentials to President Mnangagwa at State House in Harare and pledged to bolster relations with Zimbabwe.
Writing on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe stands ready to improve relations with all world nations.
“This morning, I received letters of credence from four Ambassadors Designate at State House.
“I welcome HE Ms Pamela Tremondt of the US, HE Mr Austin Gormely of Ireland, HE Ms Joan Thomas Edwards of Jamaica, and HE Mungkorn Pratoomkaew of Thailand.
“I welcome these distinguished ambassadors and look forward to strengthening our diplomatic relations and cooperation for mutual benefit,” said the President.
In an interview after her closed-door meeting with President Mnangagwa, Ms Tremondt said her main mission was to improve relations between Harare and Washington.
She described deliberations with the President as “lovely”.
“I had a lovely meeting with President Mnangagwa just now. I passed along President Biden’s greetings to him. We discussed ways we can improve the relationship between the US and Zimbabwe.
“My job as a diplomat is to improve relations with the country that I am in, there is so much potential in our relationship with Zimbabwe and I very much look forward to capitalising on that.
“Our goal here in Zimbabwe is to continue to support Zimbabweans as they build a prosperous future so that Zimbabwe can be self-reliant . . . and with whom we can partner as we confront global challenges around the world,” she said.
Ms Tremondt said she had expressed gratitude to President Mnangagwa for the statement he issued on Tuesday condemning the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump.
“I also thanked President Mnangagwa for the condolences he sent to President Biden after Saturday’s shooting, which resulted in the injury of former President Trump and
the death of a man who was protecting his family.
“I appreciated those condolences and we agreed that political violence is abhorrent and does not belong in the US or any other country,” she said.
The US’ commitment to Zimbabwe, said Ms Tremondt, was long-standing, adding that discussions with President Mnangagwa had centred around increased cooperation.
“We are happy to continue that and we will always be a reliable and consistent partner to Zimbabwe. I was pleased to discuss with President Mnangagwa the current drought situation and inform him that in the coming days, we will have another announcement about more food security support for the Zimbabwean people”.
Ms Tremondt went on to register keenness to experience Zimbabwe’s beauty and talent.
Ireland’s incoming Ambassador Mr Gormley said Harare and Dublin shared a long history of cooperation, which he would be looking to turn into economic gains.
“Zimbabwe and Ireland enjoy a longstanding friendship, there has always been a strong Irish imprint in Zimbabwe through the work of missionaries over many decades in the social sector, working tirelessly with the most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe.
“As the President has said, we also enjoy kinship and mutual understanding, given our historical context particularly the histories of both countries, including our solidarity in the liberation struggle. Economic ties are developing. We would like to see the level of trade increasing,” he said.
Mr Gormley said Zimbabwe and Ireland had investment opportunities that both countries could pursue.
He said Zimbabwe could take advantage of the European Union (EU) export market, while Ireland would certainly pursue opportunities in Zimbabwe.
“I also said to the President that Ireland is an attractive investment destination within the European Union. We are members of the European Union and we are not leaving, so that produces an opportunity for Zimbabwean companies, particularly those in services; high-tech financial services and also companies in the agriculture area to export into the European Union over time,” Mr Gormley said.
During his meeting with the President, Mr Gormley said they also spoke about Father Paschal Slevin, who was posthumously bestowed the Royal Order of Munhumutapa by late former President Robert Mugabe for his contributions during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
On her part, Mrs Edwards said Zimbabwe and Jamaica had solid diplomatic relations emanating from a rich shared history.
“Historically Zimbabwe and Jamaica have had very cordial relations, as you will recall during the liberation struggle Jamaica was one of the countries that stood with Zimbabwe so much that our reggae icon, Bob Marley, was here in 1980 for Independence celebrations,” she said.
Mrs Edwards said she would work towards increasing economic cooperation between the two countries during her mission to Zimbabwe.
“In terms of trade we have had minimal trade with Zimbabwe and we would hope that could change and these are some of the things we will have to look at,” she said.
Thailand’s Mr Pratoomkaew said they would be looking to cooperate with Zimbabwe in the vehicle manufacturing value chain.
“I have just had a discussion with the President about the automobile industry in Thailand that is changing from the gasoline engine into electrical vehicles and Zimbabwe has a lot of reserves of lithium, which is the major component for the vehicle industry, so it is one area in which we can co-operate with each other,” he said.
Under President Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe has been pursuing an engagement and re-engagement foreign policy, deepening existing relations and reaching out to countries that turned against Harare after being miffed by the land reform programme.
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