THE charm offensive by President Emmerson Mnangagwa since his inauguration in November last year promises a positive redirection of the country in its interactions with the international community that would yield benefits for the country most importantly on the economic side.
Since the beginning of a new era, many countries regionally and internationally have expressed commitment to work with Zimbabwe towards the restoration of the country to its former glory.
Individual corporations have also expressed interest to invest in the country with South African business tycoon Mr Robert Matana Gumede meeting Vice President General Constantino Chiwenga (Retired) this week expressing an interest in establishing projects in different sectors of the economy in Zimbabwe to the tune of $1,2 billion.
The President, within his 100 days in office, has also embarked on a visit to neighbouring heads of state within Sadc to brief his colleagues on the transitional process that led to the resignation of former President Robert Mugabe and his (President Mnangagwa) subsequent elevation as the country's head of State.
The visits are also meant to cement the mutual friendship and cooperation in various sectors with the neighbouring countries.
He started by visiting South Africa's President Jacob Zuma who is also Sadc chairperson followed last week by a visit to his Angolan counterpart Joao Lourenco who is also the chairman of the Sadc Organ on Politics Defence and Security.
This week, President Mnangagwa has visited Namibian President Hage Geingob and today visits his Mozambican counterpart Fillipe Nyusi.
He is also expected to visit Zambia then Botswana on a state visit. in February he visits other Sadc countries and in April goes to China.
Besides being fraternal neighbours, Zimbabwe shares a history of cooperation with South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola and Namibia.
The initiative by President Mnangagwa should be appreciated in the context of the repositioning of the country under his new administration in pursuit of mutually beneficial relations and in the broader sense the pursuit of Zimbabwe's national interest with a bias towards the economy.
After years of isolation, the new administration under President Mnangagwa has set the path to change the country's fortunes through re-engagement and cooperation with other states.
It is also against these positive developments that the rantings by the bitter and defeated G40 functionaries questioning the Government's legitimacy should be dismissed if not totally ignored.
What is evident is that Zimbabwe is headed towards a recovery path and no amount of wild barking would stop the new trajectory that the country has taken.
Speaking during his visit to Namibia, President Mnangagwa said the country was focusing on economic development that would translate to an improvement on the lives of Zimbabweans.
"We are focusing now on issues of development of our economy and bettering the conditions of our people and we are receiving support from all Sadc member countries as well as from countries beyond our region," he said.
"We are receiving positive signals of cooperation in the area of economic cooperation."
The engagement by President Mnangagwa is in line with his inauguration speech in November last year when he said that the country was ready to engage on mutually beneficial relations with all nations including those with whom relations had soured in the past.
"Whatever misunderstandings may have subsisted in the past, let these make way to a new beginning which sees us relating to one another in multi-layered, mutually beneficial ways as equal and reciprocally dependent partners. In this global world, no nation is, can or need be an island, one unto itself.
Isolation has never been splendid or viable; solidarity and partnership are and will always be the way.
"We are ready to embrace each and all, on principles of mutual respect and common humanity. We will take definite steps to re-engage those Nations who have had issues with us in the past. Equally, we will take measures to ensure that we acknowledge and begin to show commitments towards settling our debts. Of course our resources remain sparse, especially at this stage when we face a myriad of pressures, but we count on the goodwill of those we owe to give us a chance. We remain committed to honouring the debts and to enter into new relationships," said President Mnangagwa.
"Above all, all foreign investments will be safe in our country and, we will fully abide by the terms of Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements which we have concluded with a number of nations. I ask you to join us in exploiting our potential to make a difference in the lives of our people."
In an interview with our sister paper Business Weekly last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo (Retired), explained that President Mnangagwa had merged the International Trade component to the old Foreign Affairs ministry in line with the country's foreign policy with a bias towards economic state craft.
He said the country's diplomacy will focus on mending broken bridges of cooperation, the nurturing and consolidation of new friendships while at the same time strengthening relations with those nations that stood by Zimbabwe in her most difficult times in the past two decades.
"First and foremost, I should say that the Foreign Policy and economic policy are non estranged bedfellows. Since Foreign Policy mirrors domestic policy, it is configured by economic policy among other domestic policies.
"To this end, economic policy can be used as a tool to project Foreign Policy stance. Similarly, foreign policy can be designed in response to another state's domestic economic policy.
"Thus, the inclusion of the International Trade portfolio is in tandem with the new thrust of our foreign policy premised on a heavy bias on economic state craft," said the Minister.
"We will redynamise our diplomatic efforts towards vibrant trade and quick-win investment as we are cognisant that politics and economics are two sides of the same coin in diplomacy, which complement each other."
- zimpapers
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