Zimbabwe's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amon Murwira, has arrived in Moscow for discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, including Zimbabwe’s potential to join BRICS.
During a press conference after the meeting, Lavrov emphasised that the relationship between the two countries is founded on the principles of equality and mutual respect.
“We paid special attention to the need to strengthen trade and economic cooperation, agreed to take additional steps to identify promising areas of joint interests, first of all in geological exploration, development of mineral resources, energy, including nuclear, agriculture, space, as well as information and communication technologies,” stated Russia’s Foreign Minister.
Furthermore, Lavrov highlighted that Russia annually offers 125 scholarships to Zimbabwean citizens for studies at Russian universities, adding that Russia is prepared to increase this quota, Bulawayo 24 News reports.
He also announced that the third Russia-Africa summit will take place in 2026, while the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum will be held in 2025 in one of the African nations.
Murwira, for his part, stressed that Zimbabwe and Russia share strong political relations and are actively working to enhance their ties in the economic sector.
During the press conference, journalists raised several questions on global issues. One such question came from TV BRICS correspondent Yana Panferova, asking about Zimbabwe's potential participation in BRICS. In response, Murwira stated that the BRICS association is a key platform for economic cooperation and holds significant importance for Zimbabwe.
“Zimbabwe is currently working on fulfilling the requirements necessary to join BRICS. We are at the application stage and are awaiting a response in line with the consensus reached within the BRICS framework,” said Zimbabwe's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
This marks Murwira's first visit to Moscow in his capacity as Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister.