Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke
Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE and Spain are set to strengthen their bilateral relations, with new opportunities for cooperation emerging in tourism, agriculture, the arts and education, outgoing Spanish Ambassador Isabel Brilhante Bonilla has said.
Speaking at State House in Harare yesterday after paying a farewell courtesy call on President Mnangagwa, Ambassador Bonilla reflected on her three-year diplomatic tenure in Zimbabwe with optimism and pride.
“We have agreed that there is always room to improve, to do things together, but we are starting from a very consolidated and strong base,” she said.
“We have opened space for new developments. So we are very happy with what we have done and what can still be done.”
Ambassador Bonilla said relations between Harare and Madrid had grown steadily, underpinned by a warm and constructive dialogue with the Zimbabwean Government.
She described her final meeting with President Mnangagwa as “very good, very direct, very warm,” underscoring the cordial nature of bilateral engagements during her tenure.
Highlighting key sectors of cooperation, Ambassador Bonilla said tourism and agriculture had been consistent pillars of collaboration, while the arts and education were emerging as promising new areas.
“It’s always been the tourism, agriculture which came in as a positive. It’s been art, education – those are our strong, I would say, fields of bilateral cooperation,” she said.
The Spanish envoy praised Zimbabwe as a “wonderful country full of beautiful people” and expressed hope that relations between the two nations would continue to flourish after her departure.
Harare and Madrid established diplomatic relations in the early 1980s and over the years, cooperation has mainly focused on cultural exchanges, technical support in agriculture and humanitarian assistance.
Spain has also supported conservation efforts in Zimbabwe, including wildlife protection and community-based tourism projects.
In recent years, Spanish companies have expressed interest in Zimbabwe’s renewable energy and agri-business sectors, while Zimbabwean artists and scholars have benefitted from cultural and educational exchange programmes supported by the Spanish Embassy and partner institutions.
