Zim strengthens ties with Israel

NDAMU SANDU

Zimbabwe has appointed Ronny Levi Musan as honorary consul in Israel as it moves to strengthen economic cooperation with one of the Middle East’s biggest economies.

The honorary consul presented his letters of commissioning to the Israeli Government on August 13 and will be based in Tel Aviv, Foreign Affairs and International Trade permanent secretary Ambassador James Manzou told Business Times.

He said Zimbabwe and Israel have had diplomatic relations for a long time and the latest appointment is meant to strengthen ties.

“Our Ambassador in Cairo is accredited to Israel. In our relationship in terms of economic cooperation, with the need for technological cooperation, we need to have somebody on the ground to promote our interest in line with Zimbabwe is open for business thrust.

The consul will report to us through the Embassy in Cairo,” Manzou said.

In a post on Twitter, Musan—who is also the president and CEO Ashelroi group—said: “My sincere gratitude to His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the trust he has placed in me to act in his name for the sake of Zimbabwe and its citizens.”

Zimbabwe’s relations and Israel have not been at an all-time high after the Middle East national at the turn of the millennium. Zimbabwe has been supporting Palestine and at one time wanted the UN to recognise it as a sovereign state.

Israel is renowned for smart agriculture and research and development. President Mnangagwa’s administration has been on a re-engagement drive to woo foreign direct investment to help reboot the economy.

This has seen the government scrapping the regulations that prescribed that locals should have at least 51% shareholding in all businesses operating in Zimbabwe.

Last year, President Mnangagwa met Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz at the just-ended UN General Assembly, the first such high-level meeting between the two nations in 20 years.

According to official data, Israel exports to Zimbabwe were more than US$7m in 2015. Zimbabwe’s exports to Israel were US$13.8m.