Zim reaffirms commitment to regional, international peace
SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, has affirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to playing a key role in the resolution of both regional and international conflicts, calling for diplomatic manoeuvres and dialogue to end conflicts.
He is making bench-marking visits to the Nordic and Baltic countries, including Sweden, Latvia, and Finland.
In a statement yesterday, Parliament of Zimbabwe said Adv Mudenda and his delegation began their engagement in Latvia on March 6, 2024, with a meeting with Ms Daiga Mierina, Speaker of the Parliament of Latvia.
The discussions focused on the current global conflict situations that threaten peace and security, as well as other areas of mutual interest.
“On that score, Speaker Mudenda reminded his host that even the First and Second World Wars ended with peace round conferences anchored on diplomacy and dialogue,” said Parliament.
“In that regard, Speaker Mudenda affirmed that the attendant peace and security dividend was non-negotiable.
“In this context, Speaker Mudenda supported the establishment of the IPU Taskforce on the Russia-Ukraine conflict as well as the SADC initiative for the peaceful resolution of the conflicts in northern Mozambique and the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).”
Ms Mierina also stressed the importance of finding a lasting solution to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“In this context, the Speaker of the Latvian Parliament called on the international community to lobby for the end of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia through concerted dialogue and diplomacy as no war has never ended war,” Parliament said.
The Zimbabwean delegation also met Latavian President Edgars Rinkevics on Friday.
The meeting was taking place within the context of current global threats to peace and security as evidenced by the conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and in some parts of Africa.
“In response to President’s Rinkevics’ welcome remarks on global peace and security Speaker Mudenda highlighted the negative impact of the war in Ukraine, including imported inflation affecting global economies,” Parliament said.
“He also referred to the escalating conflict in the Middle East resulting in devastating humanitarian crisis where more than 30 000 Palestinians have lost their lives and 1,5 million Palestinians in Gaza have no access to food, water and the dire need for emergency health services.
“Relatedly, Speaker Mudenda also alluded to the conflicts in Africa, in particular, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo where the SADC region had deployed peacekeeping forces in an effort to ameliorate against the scourge of insurgents. Similarly, Speaker Mudenda bemoaned the exponential rise in coup d’états in some parts of West Africa.
“With regards to the Gaza conflict, the Speaker noted that while Israel claims to have a right to defend itself, the response should not be disproportional in terms of the dictates of international law.”
Adv Mudenda called for diplomatic manoeuvres and dialogue to end the global conflicts.
He emphasised that peace must be anchored on justice and multilateralism as enshrined in Article 2 of the UN Charter.
The two also shared perspectives on issues of mutual interest, including enhancing bilateral relations between the two sisterly Republics and to reflect on peace and security issues globally.
Accompanied by Ms Mierina, Adv Mudenda also visited the Monument of Freedom in Latvia on March 6.
The purpose of the visit was to pay respects and commemorate those heroes and heroines who lost their lives in the pursuit of Latvian freedom and independence.