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Zvamaida Murwira in VICTORIA FALLS
The 32nd Session of the Zimbabwe-Zambia Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security yesterday rapped the United States and its Western allies for destabilising democratically elected governments.

The Commission said the US and its allies were bent on trying to influence global order through imposition of illegal sanctions or making such threats to other nations as they try to assert their dominance in world politics.

This was contained in a communiqué  released after three days of intense deliberations on security threats that faced the two nations and how they could be contained.

The Zimbabwean delegation was headed by Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Cain Mathema, while his Zambian counterpart Minister Steven Kampyongo represented the northern neighbour.

“The Commission expressed concern on the machinations by some Western states aimed at destabilising and subverting democratically elected governments,” said the two countries.

“In that regard, the Zambian delegation expressed solidarity with Sadc in calling for the unconditional removal of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.”

Officially opening the session, Minister Mathema, who was the co-chair of the Commission castigated the US for trying to assert its dominance on global politics.

“We are meeting at a time when global security is under threat from the dominant tendencies of the United States seeking to impose its will on the global order by imposing economic sanctions on other countries,” he said.

“Zimbabwe has been a victim of such sanctions imposed under the Zimbabwe Economic Recovery and Democracy Act. These sanctions have continued to undermine the new dispensation’s foreign policy thrust of engagement and re-engagement, as well as international dialogue.”

The Commission implored Sadc countries that were due to hold elections this year to maintain the good standard of free and fair elections that other countries like Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo had recently set.

Some of the countries due to hold elections this year are South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia.

The two countries came up with strategies to deal with common challenges such as transnational organised crime like poaching, irregular migration, smuggling of goods such as counterfeit pharmaceuticals, as well as human and drug trafficking.

Other challenges include smuggling of live wildlife species and related products.

“In that regard, the Commission re-affirmed the need to strengthen cooperation and use of modern tools and technology to combat these vices. The Commission also noted the need to conclude the re-affirmation of the common boundary between the two countries,” reads the statement

In his closing remarks, Minister Kampyongo said Zambia as chair of Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security will ensure that the region would remain stable, adding that he was aware that Zimbabwe was the incoming Chair of the Troika in August this year.

On Cyclone Idai which claimed hundreds of lives and left a trail of destruction mainly in Manicaland province and other areas, Minister Kampyongo said Zambia would soon join other disaster preparedness institutions to assist Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique after the three countries were affected.

Defence and War Veterans Deputy Minister Victor Matemadanda, secretary for the ministry, Mr Martin Rushwaya and service chiefs attended the three-day session.