Harare — A HIGH-LEVEL Swedish delegation is expected in Zimbabwe tomorrow ahead of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's visit to Stockholm this month.

The visit also comes as Sweden takes over the rotating European Union presidency next month.

A delegation from the French Development Agency is also expected in Harare this week.

In a statement yesterday, the Swedish Embassy in Harare said: "The Director-General of International Development Co-operation in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Mr Jan Knutsson, will visit Zimbabwe 3-5 June 2009.

"He will be accompanied by the head of Southern Africa in the Africa Department of the ministry, Mr Pereric Högberg," the embassy said.

"The visit is related to the forthcoming Swedish Presidency of the European Union -- starting 1 July 2009 -- and to the planned visit to Stockholm, Sweden, by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in mid-June."

The French Development Agency's visit follows that of French State Secretary in charge of Foreign Trade, Mrs Anne-Marie Idrac, last week.

Mrs Idrac met PM Tsvangirai, Finance Minister Tendai Biti, Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Elton Mangoma and Minister of Regional Integration and International Co-operation Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga.

She was in Harare to confirm a French invitation to PM Tsvangirai, who is set to visit that country this month, as well as to discuss the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

Mrs Idrac's other mission was to explore possible areas of co-operation between France and Zimbabwe.

Observers said Stockholm's overtures to Harare were "significant" not only because of Sweden's upcoming EU presidency.

"Sweden has been one of the hardliners, along with Britain, in Europe's Zimbabwe policy and it can only be hoped that this will lead to a significant breakthrough in ties between this country and the EU as a bloc," an observer said.

He pointed to a 2007 report by the EU on its implementation of Article 96 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement under which the bloc imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe.

That report concluded that the EU's policy on Zimbabwe had been pushed by the United Kingdom and "the Northern hardliners" of Scandinavia.

Norway recently also dispatched a high-level delegation to Zimbabwe, as hopes for a resumption of normal relations continue to grow following a stand-off that was sparked by Britain's unwillingness to honour its obligations to the country under the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979.