South Sudan minister pays courtesy call on President Mugabe

Herald Reporter
The South Sudan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Mr Nhial Deng Nhial

who was in the country last week paid a courtesy call on President Mugabe at State House on Friday and briefed him on the agreement signed between his country and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe and South Sudan last week on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding that seeks to establish a Joint Commission for Trade, Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technical Co-operation to conclude initiatives that started in March 2012.
“It was a brief courtesy call I had with His Excellency and I took the opportunity to brief him on the agreements we have reached in the past two days,” Mr Nhial said.
He said President Mugabe called for the implementation of the MoU and promised that Zimbabwe would support South Sudan.
“He promised that Zimbabwe will give all the possible assistance it can to the extent its current situation permits,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi signed the MoU on behalf of Zimbabwe.  The Joint Commission would allow collaboration in various areas and a legal framework for effective co-ordination and consolidation of existing and future bilateral co-operation.
South Sudan has various opportunities in the areas of energy, agriculture and infrastructure development that local business people have been urged to explore.  Mr Nhial said his country welcomed overtures by the Republic of Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir as a development that would ensure improved relations between the two countries.
“It has been a long awaited visit and we are delighted it has been done and I think it will go a long way in consolidating the agreements that have been reached by both countries and will lead to noramalised relations,” Mr Nhial said.
The two countries’ relations were strained over border disputes and sharing of oil revenues, although they have improved of late.

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