Türkiye, Zimbabwe poised to boost ties

Türkiye and Zimbabwe agreed Wednesday to boost their ties in all fields as Turkish top diplomat Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visits the African country.

“We reviewed all aspects of our relations today, how to enhance our economic relations,” Çavuşoğlu said at a joint press conference with his Zimbabwean counterpart Frederick Shava.

“We need to establish the Joint Economic Commission … and we need to conclude and sign agreements, MoUs that we have been negotiating to strengthen the legal basis of our relations,” Çavuşoğlu added.

Bilateral trade between the two countries stands at $35 million and Ankara is keen to increase it.

Çavuşoğlu who underscored the willingness of Turkish companies to invest in Zimbabwe said he agreed with his counterpart to work closely to further relations in many areas, including agriculture, tourism, education and health. He also stressed that the private sectors in the two countries need to be encouraged for further cooperation both in Türkiye and in Zimbabwe.

Shava described Çavuşoğlu’s visit as an “era for economic diplomacy,” Çavuşoğlu being the first Turkish foreign Minister to visit the African country. Shava also expressed the hope to see cooperation between the two countries deepening.