Belarus to Discuss Creation of Trade Hub With Zimbabwe
/ Go to the mediabankBelarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko 
/ Go to the mediabankInternationalIndiaAfricaThe Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is planning to visit Zimbabwe from 30 January to 1 February. This is the leader’s first visit to sub-Saharan Africa.Belarus would like to create a hub for trading its products in Africa, Dmitry Sakun, Belarus’ charge d’affaires Zimbabwe, said as cited by the media. The statement comes ahead of President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to Zimbabwe on Monday.
"Bringing equipment or products here and then entering neighboring markets is one of the options for joining African markets. Why not? During [Lukashenko's] visit, negotiations will be held to start interacting with each other somehow and create a hub that will allow us to move to neighboring countries," the diplomat said.
Speaking about how to deliver goods to such far-flung countries as Zimbabwe, the diplomat said that there have always been logistical difficulties involved with shipping but costs have rocketed recently. Nevertheless, Sakun is confident that Belarus can successfully supply its goods to African countries, just as many European and American manufacturers do.
"The Zimbabwean market is quite big. There is a fairly large demand for various products. Local producers cannot cope with the demands of the local population. Food, equipment, clothing, fertilizers – there is a shortage of all that. And Belarus can offer it all," Sakun noted.
Belarus is developing industrial cooperation projects with its African partners, such as South Africa, where a plant to assemble tractors is being built, Igor Bely, head of the general directorate for Asia, Africa and Latin America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus said.Belarus-Zimbabwe ties significantly strengthened in recent years with the countries signing a number of agreements. Zimbabwe’s leader Emmerson Mnangagwa visited Belarus in 2015 as vice-president and four years later as president. In January 2022, Belarus opened an embassy in Harare.
