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Herald Reporter
In a major diplomatic triumph for Zimbabwe, the country has been selected to host the next Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers Meeting mid-2025.
The conference will bring together five Nordic countries — Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden — and 32 African countries to discuss matters of mutual interest and cooperation.
The high-level meeting provides a platform for dialogue and collaboration between African and Nordic nations on a range of political, economic and social issues affecting both regions.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava, who attended last week’s Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, said Zimbabwe’s selection to host the next conference reaffirmed the success of the country’s re-engagement drive.
“We have just finished a very successful meeting between Nordic and African countries’ ministers of foreign affairs and in conclusion, it has been decided that the next meeting will be held in Zimbabwe next year, so we are elated,” said Minister Shava.
“I think we could have bilateral talks and meet some states between now and next year.”
The chairperson of the Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers Meeting, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said Zimbabwe was well-placed to host the summit.
“Thank you very much . . . it is definitely accepted and then I just want to wish all of you a safe trip back home and all of us are looking forward to Zimbabwe next year,” he said.
Twenty-six African and five Nordic countries participated in the Copenhagen meeting. The Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers Meeting was first held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2001 and has been held 21 times since then.
It seeks to strengthen cooperation between the Nordic and African countries on foreign policy and global issues.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter