Zimbabwe, Russia deepen bi-lateral, trade relations

ZIMBABWE and Russia have committed to deepen and expand bilateral relations that exist between the two countries.

This came out during the Fourth Session of the Zimbabwe-Russia Intergovernmental Commission (ICG) on economic, trade, scientific and technical co-operation held in Harare yesterday.

At the meeting, the Zimbabwean delegation was led by Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Co-Chair, Ambassador Frederick Shava, while the Russian delegation was led by Natural Resources and Environment Minister and Co-Chair, Alexander Kozlov.

The Intergovernmental Commission was preceded by a meeting of senior officials held on Monday and Tuesday.

Prior to the Intergovernmental Commission, the co-chairs held official bilateral talks and expressed satisfaction with the excellent historical and fraternal relations that exist between Zimbabwe and Russia.

They discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and reiterated their commitment to deepen and expand these relations.

Zimbabwe and Russia enjoy excellent bilateral relations that date back to the days of Harare's liberation struggle.

In a joint communiqué issued at the end of their engagements yesterday, the parties agreed to expedite the implementation and operationalisation of all signed legal instruments in order to concretise the bilateral co-operation.

At the end of the Intergovernmental Commission, Minister Kozlov expressed gratitude, on behalf of the Russian delegation, to co-chair Ambassador Shava, Government and all Zimbabweans for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to him and his delegation.

Minister Kozlov then extended an invitation to Ambassador Shava to attend the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Commission to be held in Russia in 2024, on a date to be mutually agreed upon through diplomatic channels.