Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, during a meeting with the leader of Iran, called for unity among nations that have been subjected to Western sanctions.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday urged nations targeted by Western sanctions to band together as he hosted the leader of fellow international outlier Iran.
President Ebrahim Raisi arrived for the last leg of the first Africa tour by an Iranian leader in 11 years, on a tour aimed at easing the Islamic republic’s international isolation.
Raisi is the highest profile leader to visit Zimbabwe in the thick of an election campaign for a closely-watched August 23 presidential and parliamentary vote.
Mnangagwa, 80, who is seeking re-election in what analysts predict will be a tense ballot, has long blamed his country’s dire economic straits on sanctions imposed by the United States and European Union.
Western countries retort that the measures target specific individuals accused of graft and human rights abuses rather than the whole country.
Africa has emerged as a diplomatic battleground, with Russia and the West trying to court support over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which has had a devastating economic impact on the continent, sending food prices soaring.
Western powers have also sought to deepen trade ties with Africa, along with India and China.
The two leaders signed “a record” 12 agreements on topics ranging from energy to telecommunications, Mnangagwa said.
Raisi’s visit comes with Iran stepping up diplomacy to reduce its isolation and offset the impact of crippling sanctions reimposed since the 2018 withdrawal of the United States from a painstakingly negotiated nuclear deal.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
