Asked whether ordinary Zimbabweans know about Belarus or only at the level of signatures on contracts, Emmerson Mnangagwa replied: «Wherever you go, in every province where there is a tractor, it is most likely BELARUS. If you look at the machinery on my farm, most of it is Belarusian-made.» The president of the African republic admitted that he works on his own farm on weekends, and his machinery fleet includes two BELARUS tractors.
«Your machinery is very popular here. All because we are offered very favorable operating conditions. We are very pleased, and I personally thank my brother, President Lukashenko,» the leader of Zimbabwe said.
«I do not think there is a place in our country where people do not know about Belarus. First, your tractors are everywhere. Second, our friendship. Believe me, you do not need to conduct surveys to understand whether Zimbabweans know about Belarus. They know! On every street and in every village. Even though we also use agricultural machinery from other countries, the Belarusian one clearly dominates,» Emmerson Mnangagwa added.
He also shared his vision of what dividends the strengthening of African countries’ positions will bring for the world as a whole amid a geopolitical storm, when the center of world politics and economics is shifting towards the Global South and East, where new opportunities are opening up and the role of the African continent is increasing many times over.
«I assure you, when I wake up, I do not think about global politics or world processes. I think about my country. What do we need to do for Zimbabwe’s development? How do we motivate the younger generation? After all, they sincerely want to help their country, and they must be patriots of their homeland and also understand that a country must be developed above all on the basis of the resources it has. That is precisely why we must give young people the necessary opportunities, education and training in various skills. And yes, we are capable of doing this,» Emmerson Mnangagwa emphasized.
«In addition, we receive assistance from friendly countries, and their readiness to accept our students. And we gratefully accept such support. But ultimately we must develop by relying on the opportunities we have within the country. There is a very good education system here. I am convinced that Zimbabwe is among the leading countries in the region on this indicator,» the president of Zimbabwe said.
