Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe and Belarus on Wednesday signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement aimed at deepening relations between their parliaments.
The agreement was signed by Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda, who is leading a Zimbabwe delegation in Minsk, Belarus and his counterpart, Mr Igor Sergeyenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus.
Advocate Mudenda, who is also Zanu PF’s Secretary General, is in Belarus for parliamentary engagements and to participate in the Belarus Political Party Second International Conference on State Sovereignty and Principles of International Relations, which began today and will end on Sunday.
According to a statement from Zimbabwe’s Parliament, the two leaders signed the agreement in a meeting held soon after the arrival of Advocate Mudenda and his delegation.
“The meeting culminated in the historic signing of a strategic Cooperation Agreement aimed at enhancing fraternal relations between the two legislatures,” reads the statement.
“The two Speakers held candid discussions on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including: boosting bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Belarus in general and between the two legislatures in particular through the implementation of signed agreements, current global geopolitics with an emphasis on securing peace and security through diplomacy and dialogue, cooperation at the international fora based on shared multilateral values and the exchange of best parliamentary practices to cement parliamentary processes.
“Acknowledging the significant gap in parliamentary relations despite excellent executive-level relations characterised by high-level exchange state visits between Minsk and Harare, the two Speakers welcomed the recent fruitful engagements between the two Parliaments as a means of upscaling inter-parliamentary ties.
“Reference was made to the successful visit to Minsk in February by a Parliamentary delegation led by Honourable Mabel Memory Chinomona, President of the Senate and subsequently to the Honourable Speaker’s current visit.”
The two Speakers agreed that the two sisterly Republics share a strong political bond of interstate relationship, as witnessed by high-level exchanges as exemplified by Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko’s state visit to Zimbabwe in January 2023 and President Mnangagwa reciprocal visit in May last year.
“In this context, Speaker Sergeyenko emphasised that Belarus regards Zimbabwe as a key strategic partner in Southern Africa. Building on these sound existing relations, the two countries have signed roadmaps and cooperation agreements to ensure sustained and systematic mutually beneficial socio – economic cooperation,” reads the statement.
Peter Tanyanyiwa