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President Mugabe welcomes incoming Brazilian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mrs Anna Maria Maria Pinto Morales (right) as she presents her credentials at State House in Harare yesterday. Looking on are Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi (left) and Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha. – (Picture by Kudakwashe Hunda)

Felex Share Senior Reporter—
Newly-appointed ambassadors of Japan, Pakistan and Brazil yesterday presented their credentials to President Mugabe at State House and pledged to take bilateral relations between their countries and Zimbabwe to higher levels. Mr Toshiyuki Iwado (Japan), Mr Riaz Hussain Bukhari (Pakistan) and Ms Anna Maria Pinto Morales (Brazil) all said Zimbabwe had vast investment opportunities that their countries could take advantage of.

First to present his credentials was Mr Iwado, who said his major task was to follow up on the mega deals sealed between President Mugabe and Japanese Prime Minister Mr Shinzo Abe last year. President Mugabe visited Japan in March last year and sealed vital economic agreements with Mr Abe. “I arrived in late May and today is a great day because the President received us warmly,” said Mr Iwado. “I just explained (to President Mugabe) that my priority is following up on the joint statement signed by my Prime Minister and President Mugabe when he visited Japan last year.

“This includes dialogue on various economic fields. That will be the main focus during my tenure.”

Mr Iwado added: “We have already started some of the projects like the irrigation project in Nyakomba and we did (support) twice with food aid which amounts to $4,4 million.

“We are now conducting the preliminary study of the road infrastructure that is the north-south corridor. We will give material support on the roads that need to be renovated.”

Mr Bukhari said after supporting Zimbabwe during its liberation struggle, Pakistan now wanted enhanced economic cooperation.

“I feel honoured to have presented my credentials to the President,” he said. “We had a good meeting. We exchanged views on a variety of issues, particularly our past relations where we assisted and supported the independence of the great people of Zimbabwe.

“We would like to build our relationship in diversified fields, that is economic and trade matters. We would like to increase our trade for the benefit of the people of our two great countries. We would like to enhance cooperation in the scientific and technology sector.”

Mr Bukhari said the two countries had well functioning parliaments which should exchange ideas.

“I would like to focus on mutual exchanges of parliamentary business,” he said. “The President gave me some guidance and I will continue building upon that guidance during my stay here.”

Ms Morales, who is coming to Zimbabwe for the second time, said focus would be on developing the agricultural sector.

“I was charge d’affaires in the 90s for one and half years,” she said. “I am happy to be back in this country where human and natural resources are not a potential, but real. You can develop this country wonderfully.

“My mission is to work towards this development. We have already started implementing interesting projects in the agriculture sector. There are some arid areas which we have supported and have produced wonderful crops. We have finished implementing the first phase and we want to go to the second phase.

“Agriculture is the main area we are cooperating on, but we are open to cooperation in many areas the Government of Zimbabwe decides to present a proposal on.”

Asked when the second phase of the More Food For Africa programme would be implemented, Ms Morales responded: “Anytime soon, it is coming. We are working on that. This exact moment there is a delegation from Zimbabwe in Brazil working on that. We are going to implement the second phase as soon as possible.”

Under the More Food for Africa programme, Brazil and Zimbabwe signed a $98 million loan facility for the procurement of irrigation equipment, tractors and implements.

To date, equipment has been installed at more than 176 irrigation projects across the country.