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Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa urged nations targeted by Western sanctions to bind together as he hosted Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi. The Iranian strongman arrived for the last leg of the first Africa tour by an Iranian leader in 11 years. The tour is aimed at easing the Islamic Republic’s international isolation
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa urged nations targeted by Western sanctions to bind together as he hosted Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi. The Iranian strongman arrived for the last leg of the first Africa tour by an Iranian leader in 11 years. The tour is aimed at easing the Islamic Republic’s international isolation.
Zimbabwe is going to polls on August 23 to elect a new president, which is closely watched by the international community. Voting for Parliament also will take place simultaneously.
Mnangagwa (80) is seeking re-election in what analysts predict will be a tense ballot. He has long blamed his country’s dire economic conditions on sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union.
The Iranian President was given a rousing welcome. Hundreds of people waving Zimbabwean and Iranian flags had gathered at Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare to greet Raisi. Many were from the southern African country’s Muslim community, including women wearing headscarves and school children holding welcome banners.
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The two leaders signed a record 12 agreements on topics ranging from energy to telecommunications. These will also help Zimbabwe access innovation and technology from Iran and envisage the creation of a tractor factory to support agricultural mechanization. Raisi has already been to Kenya and Uganda this week holding talks with his counterparts William Ruto and Yoweri Museveni. The two countries also signed cooperation agreements for energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications as well as research, science, and technology projects.
