BUSINESS REPORTER
United States of America deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs Robert Scott (pictured) will visit Zimbabwe this week for talks, signalling the thawing of frosty relations between Harare and Washington.
Scott will be in Zimbabwe from February 28 to March 3 “to discuss various issues of mutual interest between the two countries”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said in a statement.
Ambassador Scott will meet Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister Frederick Shava and other “relevant government ministers”.
The meeting is expected to review the recent US-Africa Leaders’ Summit which was held in Washington DC, and to which, Zimbabwe was represented by Shava.
“On the back of the inroads which the two countries have made in cooperating, at both bilateral and multilateral levels, Zimbabwe is expected to apprise Ambassador Scott on the AfDB Structured Dialogue Programme and the associated reform priorities which the government has implemented, especially in the last five years,” the Ministry said.
Harare has in the past accused Washington of allegedly seeking regime change by placing sanctions on the country. The US insists sanctions are targeted.
Zimbabwe is normalising its relations with Western capitals under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s “friend to all and enemy to none” mantra. It has also roped in former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano and AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina as it seeks to clear its overdue arrears to multilateral and bilateral financial institutions to unlock fresh lines of credit to reboot the economy.
In the Bureau of Africa Affairs, Scott covers Peace and Security Affairs and Southern Africa.
He is a career diplomat having previously served as US Ambassador to Malawi and was acting Deputy Assistant Secretary covering West Africa and Economic and Regional Affairs. He once served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Zimbabwe and Tanzania, and as the Deputy Office Director for West African Affairs.
