Story by Abigirl Tembo

Zimbabwe’s cabinet has adopted a new doctrine guiding the country’s foreign relations and international cooperation.

The doctrine provides a framework for Zimbabwe’s engagement with the international community.

The doctrine of Zimbabwe’s Foreign Relations and International Cooperation is founded on seven key principles, including: “Zimbabwe is a Friend to All and Enemy to None”, “Leaving No one and No Place Behind”, and “Zimbabwe is Open for Business”.

These principles seek to promote Zimbabwe’s integrity, dignity and prosperity on the global stage.

“The prime objective of Zimbabwe, if you look at it in chapter two of the constitution, is for us to build a free democratic society where people are prosperous and they lead happy and fulfilling lives. This is the national objective,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Professor Amon Murwira said.

“The ‘Open for Business’ doctrine or doctrinal point by His Excellency is to say business activity leads to this prosperity that we are talking about, and open for business by us and by all people who want to work with us on our side. All this is done within the laws and regulations of Zimbabwe, and just to contextualise it in a more interesting way, this doctrine has about seven points of reference.

“The first one is we own our country. The country is built by its own people. Next, the President says we are friends to all and enemy to none in the pursuit of our national goals, and we are open for business, of course, so that that business activity that leads us to that prosperity, to that happiness, fulfilling lives that we have been talking about.

“But while we are doing this development, we are uplifting our people from poverty, leaving no place and no one behind, but at the same time, when we are interacting in the international sphere, we are saying Zimbabwe believes in the country and we believe in the equality of sovereign nations.”

Professor Murwira also spoke on the importance of emancipation from mental slavery and decolonising the mind.

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