Tony Blair warms up to President
and reintroduction of a local currency, among others.
Further, Government last week struck a multi-billion-dollar compensation deal with white former commercial farmers whose land was compulsorily acquired during land reform, a key demand for normalisation of relations with the West.
Responding to questions about Mr Blair’s position on interacting with President Mnangagwa, a spokesperson for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change said: “As Mr Blair said in the recent CNBC Africa interview, he would be happy to have an interaction with President Mnangagwa if it was helpful.”
He added: “But we work in many countries across Africa on reform and would always want to help countries make the necessary and right reforms.”
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Deputy Minister Mr David Musabayana said such an overture is welcome in the context of Government’s re-engagement programme.
“The President has always said that re-engagement is at the centre of his Government’s work programme,” said Deputy Minister Musabayana.
“So, if Blair says he wants to sit down with President Mnangagwa, he is very much welcome. You need to appreciate that re-engagement is about finding each other and mending bridges. So obviously we are mending bridges where they have been broken and where cracks had developed. This fallout also happened during Blair’s time so if he says he is willing to assist I am sure the President will be willing to sit down with him.”
Political analyst Mr Godwine Mureriwa said Mr Blair had realised that confrontation was not the best foreign policy tool.
“We have a new dispensation in Zimbabwe which is open for business and re-engagement. Naturally this is wisdom coming with experience on Blair’s side who now portrays himself as an international statesman,” said Mr Mureriwa.
Separately, Zimbabwe and Britain are laying the ground for the opening of formal political dialogue to normalise relations.
After nearly two decades of estrangement, the two nations are reaching out to open bilateral discussions aimed at turning the page on hostile relations. Following Brexit
— Britain’s departure from the European Union — there have been high-level overtures by both Harare and London to replicate the Zim-EU dialogue platform which is currently ongoing.