Government has engaged another gear, moving away from the vindictive and confrontational way of handling diplomatic relations with the global community by committing to make Zimbabwe an attractive destination for foreign direct investment.
Addressing foreign diplomats in Harare on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister, Major General Sibusiso Moyo appealed to foreign diplomats in Zimbabwe to be more open in their engagement with the government on areas of mutual cooperation.
Moyo expressed government’s commitment to re-establish relations with the western world, a move the Robert Mugabe administration failed to do, rather preferring confrontation.
“Zimbabwe belongs in the family of nations, let peace influence our relations, the peace, the peaceful nature of our people could not have been more visible that during the recent political transitional period. Let’s bury our past differences, let bygones be bygones.
“Let’s embrace each other for the common good, the common denominator is that we are all Zimbabweans,” said Moyo.
He added that, “our diplomacy shall be guided by the very positive statement that is part and parcel of the 2018 national budget, all meant to emphasize the determined economic direction this country has embarked upon.”
Moyo further expressed government’s determination to satisfy the expectations of the people from across the political divide, promising to act on any threats to peace and tranquillity which could tarnish the image of the country.
“Going forward, you will notice our determined drive to make Zimbabwe an attractive destination of Foreign Direct Investment through a deliberate economic bias in the implementation of our foreign policy.
“The economic diplomacy we seek to pursue will ride on the success and accomplishment of the past re-alignments of in other areas and a complete departure from the frustration and failures of the past, government therefore intends to formulate economic development and industrial revival,” said Moyo.
He added that Zimbabwe will work to fully realize its potential as a way of improving the welfare of the people who have endured more than two decades of hardships as a result of isolation from the global community.
“No longer will we be satisfied being a country of “potential”, that potential must be exploited to improve the welfare of our people at the soonest,” he said.
