BAKU, Azerbaijan — President Mnangagwa is a heroic leader and elder statesman from whom many young African Heads of State can tap wisdom, Guinea Bissau's President Umaro Embalo has said.

Speaking after paying a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at his hotel yesterday ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), which begins here today, President Embalo said he has a lot to learn from President Mnangagwa.

At COP29, President Mnangagwa is set to be a leading figure, on account of his position as Chairman of the Southern African Development Community.

"I came here to greet the President. He is our leader. I want to say something which is important. You know when he was trained in China, before I was born, he trained with our leaders.

"He is an elder, a hero of the struggle for liberation. That is why I came to greet him and now I am going to work," President Embalo said.

President Mnangagwa who is also the SADC chairman meets President of Guinea-Bissau, Mr Umaro Sissoco Embalo, in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku yesterday-Picture: Presidential Photographer Tawanda Mudimu

He announced his intention to embark on a State Visit to Zimbabwe in the near future, with the aim of bolstering cooperation between the two nations.

"As soon as possible, I am coming to Zimbabwe for a State Visit to open the cooperation between our two countries because we have a lot of things to change. This is why I came to greet him," said President Embalo.

Born in 1972, President Embalo has served as Guinea-Bissau's President from 2020.

The former military officer was also Prime Minister of the West African nation from 2016 to 2018.

The late former Guinea-Bissau President Amilcar Cabral and President Mnangagwa share a common history as they studied in China and used that experience to help in the liberation of their countries.