The President of Iran receives a welcome from the Zimbabwean aspect after visiting Kenya and Uganda.
As Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi concludes his three-nation African tour, Iran and Zimbabwe signed 12 agreements to strengthen bilateral relations.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa greeted Raisi as “my brother” on the tarmac after the Iranian chief’s aircraft landed within the capital Harare on Thursday.
Hundreds of individuals holding welcoming banners gathered at Robert Mugabe International Airport, together with members of southern Africa’s Muslim group.
“When you see him, you see me. When you see me, you see him,” Mnangagwa informed the group gathered across the two leaders, waving Zimbabwean and Iranian flags.
“Iran was our good friend after we went to battle,” Mnangagwa stated, referring to Zimbabwe’s independence wrestle with Britain, which received independence in 1980. I’m glad you gave it to me,” he stated.
The 12 agreements signed later that day embrace plans to arrange a tractor manufacturing plant in Zimbabwe with Iranian firms and native companions. Some are planning cooperation in power, agriculture, prescription drugs and telecommunications, in addition to analysis and science and know-how initiatives.
Both nations are underneath U.S. sanctions, and Raisi’s journey to Africa comes as Iran seeks to extend diplomatic help and ease its worldwide isolation, together with stops in Kenya and Uganda.
“Cooperation with Zimbabwe and with Africa, a continent filled with prospects, may help us transfer ahead mutually,” Raisi stated in translated feedback from Zimbabwe.
Mr Mnangagwa didn’t say how a lot funding Zimbabwe anticipated from Iran, however stated it welcomed “funding in some sectors of our economic system”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Qanani described Raisi’s go to as a “new turning level” that would strengthen financial and commerce ties with African nations.
He additionally stated on Monday that the Iranian authorities and the three African nations share “widespread political beliefs.” Iran additionally signed agreements with Kenya and Uganda on Wednesday.
Raisi’s go to to Africa follows a visit in June to Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, three Latin American nations which are additionally topic to U.S. sanctions.
The final go to by an Iranian chief to Zimbabwe was in 2010 by then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.