Sergeyenko: Belarus always views Zimbabwe as key partner in South Africa
Belarusian-Zimbabwean co-operation has been extremely active in recent years – as stated by Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko during his today’s meeting with Speaker of the National Assembly of the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe Jacob Mudenda, sb.by reports
Welcoming the guest, Mr. Sergeyenko noted that it’s the first visit of the leadership of the National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe to Belarus in the history of bilateral relations, and he also expressed confidence that the results of the meeting would open a new page in the development of co-operation between the states.
“This year is the one of active parliamentary contacts between our states. In February, Belarus’ Council of the Republic welcomed the parliamentary delegation of the Republic of Zimbabwe led by the Chairman of the Senate, and today is our second meeting in the House of Representatives – and this indicates that full-fledged contacts between the two houses of Parliament have already been established,” Mr. Sergeyenko said.
As noted by the Chairman of the House of Representatives, relations between Minsk and Harare have received a powerful boost thanks to the contacts of the heads of state. “Among them are the visit to Zimbabwe in 2023, the visit of the President of Zimbabwe to Belarus in 2025, and the last week’s meeting between President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko and President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Emerson Mnangagwa. Belarus always views Zimbabwe as one of the key political and economic partners in South Africa,” he added.
Mr. Sergeyenko drew attention to the fact that the signing of the roadmap for strategic co-operation and partnership for 2026-2030 marked a new stage in the development of bilateral relations and made it possible to give them a more systematic, substantive, purposeful and long-term character. He also noted that today’s meeting is another step towards the practical implementation of the agreements stipulated in the roadmap on the development of the inter-parliamentary dimension.
“I am sure that the co-operation agreement between the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the National Assembly of the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe, which is planned for signing today, will contribute to strengthening genuine brotherhood and friendship between our countries. I believe that inter-parliamentary friendship groups should play a leading role in the implementation of our agreement. A working group on co-operation with the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe has already been formed in the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, and we expect the formation of a similar group in the Parliament of Zimbabwe as soon as possible – enabling deputies to keep abreast of current problems, participate in the work of the intergovernmental commission, study the problems faced by the executive branch and businessmen during the implementation of specific projects, and provide possible assistance through the participation of deputies in their implementation,” Mr. Sergeyenko said.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives added that joint projects in the field of agricultural mechanisation are currently successfully being implemented in Zimbabwe, making a real contribution to strengthening the country’s food security, developing the agricultural sector and improving production efficiency. Co-operation in industry, pharmaceuticals, education and other socially significant fields is expanding, and – as noted by Mr. Sergeyenko – Belarus is ready to promote the development of existing Belarusian projects in Zimbabwe, the formation and launch of new ones. “Last year, the bilateral trade turnover exceeded $26m. The task set by the leaders of our countries to achieve mutual trade turnover in the amount of $100m is quite realistic and achievable, provided mutual co-operation and mutual approaches to solving emerging problems,” he said.
According to the Belarusian side, the humanitarian and educational spheres are among the important areas of co-operation. In this regard, Mr. Sergeyenko noted that about 150 Zimbabwean citizens study in Belarus at present. He also invited more Zimbabwean students to come to Belarus for training and retraining in various specialties.
“The Belarusian side has voiced readiness to accept a group of Zimbabwean children for rehabilitation in June and July of this year, and I am sure that initiatives of the kind will be of not just social significance, but also contribute to strengthening contacts between the citizens of our countries. The initiative to hold Days of Culture of Zimbabwe in Belarus in 2026 and Days of Culture of Belarus in Zimbabwe in 2027 also seems perspective,” Mr. Sergeyenko noted.
Speaking about the parliamentary contacts between Belarus and Zimbabwe, the Chairman of the House of Representatives added that the countries would be interested in exchanging experience in legislative activities.
Following the meeting, the parties signed an agreement on co-operation between the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus and the National Assembly of the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe. As noted during the negotiations, the document will contribute to strengthening genuine brotherhood and friendship between the two countries.
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