Published by the government of Zimbabwe
29 August 2007
Harare — Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo arrived in Harare yesterday for a four-day State visit during which he will officially open the Harare Agricultural Show on Friday.
Mr Mbasogo and his delegation touched down at Harare International Airport late in the afternoon and were met by President Mugabe, Vice Presidents Joseph Msika and Joice Mujuru, Cabinet ministers, diplomats, senior Government officials, service chiefs and Zanu-PF supporters.
He was accorded a 21-gun salute -- the highest honour that can be given by a nation - and inspected a guard of honour mounted by the Presidential Guard before he was accompanied to the State Guest House by President Mugabe.
Last night President Mugabe hosted a State Banquet for his Equatorial Guinea counterpart.
Speaking at the dinner, Cde Mugabe said Zimbabwe was gratified that Mr Mbasogo accepted the invitation to officiate at the Harare Agricultural Show, where Zimbabwe showcases its agricultural activities, the backbone of the economy.
The visit was clear testimony of the growing friendship between Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea and these relations would ensure bilateral co-operation benefited the people of the two countries, Cde Mugabe said.
This visit will allow the Equatorial Guinea delegation to view the exhibits ranging from inputs, implements, livestock, machinery to a wide assortment of farm products.
"It is my hope that Your Excellency's visit to these exhibits will lead to the identification of additional areas of co-operation, thus giving further impetus to the full and speedy implementation of the Co-operation Agreement signed between our Ministries of Agriculture in May 2006," President Mugabe said. The peace and stability in Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe gave the two countries an opportunity to increase co-operation in other areas.
A window through which to enforce this is already in place following the establishment of the Zimbabwe/Equatorial Guinea Joint Permanent Commission in 2004 and the General Agreement on Economic, Technical, Cultural and Scientific Co-operation in March last year.
Cde Mugabe expressed hope the two governments would ensure the agreements were implemented. He noted that the public and private sectors of the two countries had been quick to make use of this co-operation framework. Delegations from the two countries have exchanged numerous visits resulting in a number of projects, which were at various stages of negotiation and implementation. Zimbabwe Sun Limited signed an agreement with partners in Equatorial Guinea to build and manage a hotel on the beautiful island of Corisco while Dairibord Zimbabwe Limited is in advanced stages of negotiations to establish a milk processing plant in that country.
New areas of co-operation had been identified and were being pursued in the fields of energy, construction, tourism, mining, education, sport, culture, gender and forestry. "Zimbabwe has mounted exhibitions in Equatorial Guinea which have raised not only awareness of, but also interest in Zimbabwe's products. More exhibitions and investment promotions will be undertaken in the near future," Cde Mugabe said.
He said Zimbabwe was ready to share its experiences in human resource development, capacity building and investment in social services such as schools and hospitals because it had made great strides in these areas since independence in 1980. Equatorial Guinea has expressed interest to have Zimbabwe assist in training its people in hotel and tourism courses and imparting English language skills.
President Mugabe said Zimbabwe has been under siege from some Western powers since it began to empower its people through land redistribution. "Those who had unjustly benefited from the exploitation and deprivation of our people for ages were, and still are, not prepared to give up easily the benefits they had been reaping from our exploitation.
"Consequently, they have tried to internationalise what is essentially a bilateral dispute between us and our erstwhile colonisers, Britain. They have sought to demonise the country's leadership at every opportunity, and to deceive the world about what is happening in my country." Cde Mugabe said that internally they had sought to bring down the legitimate Government through illegal sanctions and suffocation of the economy in every possible way.
"I am happy to note that in spite of their heinous attempts to destroy the country and bring down its democratically elected Government, Zimbabwe has not collapsed and will not collapse. This, to a great extent, is a result of the resilience and revolutionary spirit of the Zimbabwean people as well as the assistance and solidarity from countries such as yours. For this, we will always be grateful."
The President said Zimbabwe relied on support from Sadc, the African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement and other progressive countries in the United Nations. "Those forces which were crucial in our struggle against colonialism again remain equally important today, in our fight against imperialism and neo-colonialism. With their support, our just struggle will certainly succeed."
Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea developed relations in 2004 following the interception by security authorities in Harare of a group of mercenaries who were on their way to stage a coup against Mr Mbasogo's government. Speaking at the same occasion, Mr Mbasogo hailed the strong relations between the two countries. He said agriculture, which was the backbone of Zimbabwe's economy, was also the cornerstone of his country's economy. He said his visit to Zimbabwe would give him first-hand information on the importance that Zimbabwe places on agriculture and its economy.
Mr Mbasogo said Africa should continue exploring South-South co-operation because its relationship with Europe was that of dominance. He added that during the colonial era his country produced cocoa and butter which were not for the consumption of the local people but were destined for the European market. Today Mr Mbasogo is expected to hold talks with President Mugabe and tour pork processor Colcom Foods and sculpture centre Chapungu Village. He will visit farms of newly resettled farmers in Mashonaland Central Province tomorrow to appreciate the land reform programme before officially opening the Harare Agricultural Show on Friday, the same day he is expected to return home.
Mr Mbasogo is being accompanied by his Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Mr Micha Ondo Bile, Special Affairs Minister Mr Alejandro Evuna Owon, Political and Administrative Affairs Minister Mr Carmelo Modo Akuse Bindang, National Security Minister Mr Manuel Nguema and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Mr Domingo Olomo Nve Nsang.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
