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Mukudzei Chingwere in KAZAN, Russia 

Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has paid tribute to the Russian Federation for standing firm in support of Zimbabwe’s sovereignty in the face of an ever-present threat from imperial powers.

VP Chiwenga said this when he touched down at the Kazan International Airport in Russia, ahead of the official opening of the Phygital Games of the Future Kazan 2024.

The games are a multidisciplinary international sports tournament anchored on embracing technology and science drawn up by the Russian Federation.

VP Chiwenga was welcomed by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan who is also the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan, Oleg Korobchenko.

Tatarstan is a region in the Russian Federation and one of the most economically developed and industrialised regions.

Vice President Dr Chiwenga is introduced to some traditional cuisine on arrival in Kazan, Russia.

Speaking to journalists on arrival, VP Chiwenga said Zimbabwe accepted the invite because of the excellent relations that exist between the two countries.

He singled out Russia’s support for Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle as well as the 2008 vote when Russia and The People’s Republic of China vetoed the United Nations (UN) sanctions against Zimbabwe which had been sponsored by the West.

“The Russian Federation and Zimbabwe relations date back to the days of the Soviet Union, when they stood with us for the liberation of Zimbabwe until we got our independence in 1980,” said VP Chiwenga.

“We must also remember that the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China have always been with Zimbabwe during the most difficult times.

“The 8th of July 2008 when we were almost being slammed with the Chapter 7 of the United Nations Security Council Sanctions (UNSC) and it was the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China which stood with Zimbabwe.

“These games which we are here for are going to be competed for by several countries and they promote science and technology,” he said.

VP Chiwenga spoke with authority as he is also an academic in his own right and captured the vetoeing of the UN sanctions aptly in his book ‘Goose or Gander The United Nations Security Council and The ETHIC of Double Standards.

The book zooms on the operations of the UNSC, the main organ of the UN, which is responsible for the maintenance of peace and security in the whole world.