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Zimbabwe, Germany pledge to boost bilateral ties

Xinhua, March 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Zimbabwe and Germany on Tuesday pledged to improve bilateral ties as the two countries warm up to each other after more than a decade of frosty relations.

Speaking to journalists after meeting a senior government official from Germany, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said Zimbabwe was keen to restore normal ties with Germany, which used to be one of its biggest economic partners.

"The efforts that we are now making are to restore that relationship. It is going to be a step by step process, nothing is going to happen overnight and we will engage and have dialogue so that we can sort out whatever needs to be sorted out in our relationship," the minister said.

Germany severed ties with Zimbabwe when the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002. However, the regional bloc lifted its economic embargo in November last year, paving way for the EU to resume direct economic aid to Zimbabwe.

Only last month, the EU gave Zimbabwe a grant of 270 million U. S. dollars to support the country's socio-economic projects over the next five years.

In the past few months, several EU countries including Britain, Sweden and Netherlands have sent envoys to Zimbabwe as the bloc steps up re-engagement efforts with Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe owes Germany 739 million U.S. dollars, making it the country's largest creditor under the Paris Club.

Chinamasa said his discussion with the Director for Africa Division in Germany's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Georg Schmidt, centred on the debt issue, rule of law and re-engagement with the International Monetary Fund.

He said Germany had invited Zimbabwean officials to visit Berlin and his ministry will initially send technical officials to "talk about the debt, our economic relationship and how we can move it forward".

Chinamasa said Zimbabwe, which has been accused of property rights violations by the West, was committed to upholding the rule of law to woo investors to help revive the ailing economy.

Schmidt, in Zimbabwe to attend a conference on Zimbabwe's constitution that is sponsored by a German think tank, emphasized the need for Zimbabwe to uphold the rule of law to attract foreign investment.

"The general framework and rule of law is a critical factor for people in the private sector to get involved in Zimbabwe's economy, " he said. Endi