THE Islamic state of Iran has reiterated its commitment to work with Zimbabwe for mutual development.
Speaking during the Eighth Zimbabwe-Iran Joint Permanent Commission held in the Capital this week, Iran Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare Dr Alie Rabiei said the Islamic state is ready to engage and share its experiences in various sectors of the economy with Zimbabwe.
Dr Rabiei who described President Robert Mugabe as a great man, stressed the need for utilising all capacities to bolster bilateral ties between Tehran and Harare.
“The Joint Permanent Commission is essential in establishing stable and sustainable relations so that the two countries can find common ground on various bilateral, economic, social and political issues,” said Dr Raibei.
The Joint Permanent Commission, established in 1991 has facilitated improvement in relations on the diplomatic, scientific and economic fronts.
So far Iran has made major investments in Zimbabwe’s agriculture, textile industries, tractor manufacturing, mining, renovation and repairing of aviation transportation installations.
However, both countries bemoaned low trade volumes, calling for improved trade cooperation between the two countries.
Through the joint commission mechanism, the two countries are exploring ways to increase trade and economic cooperation, especially in the private sector.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed to strengthen cooperation between upcoming businesses and potential investors from the Middle East.
The decision to strengthen ties comes after delegations from the two countries made successful visits to respective countries over the last five months.
In October last year, a 14-member delegation from Zimbabwe led by the Minister of Small-to-Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development, Sithembiso Nyoni visited Iran on a fact finding mission.
Addressing the Joint Permanent Commission, Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha emphasised the importance of closer cooperation between the two countries in various areas of the economy.
“The implementation score board is not very encouraging, as very few projects have been concluded,” said Ambassador Bimha.
“We need to revisit and review some of these agreements and focus mainly on those that are feasible and are of immediate benefit to both countries.”
Ambassador Bimha pointed to the agreements reached between the two countries in the area of science, agriculture and health.
Iran is one of the few countries advanced in various areas of new technologies, including nanotechnology and biotechnology.
During the meeting, the two sides also exchanged views on ways to implement what was agreed to during the last session in October 2012 and future plans.
The Joint Permanent Commission coincided with the Global Small-to-Medium Enterprises Investment Expo.
At least 28 Iranian companies are exhibiting at the expo which is running under the theme: ‘Stimulating Global partnerships and Joint Ventures for SMEs and Cooperatives to Transform the Economy’.
It is envisaged that since SMEs are a new economy in the country, Iran can offer a lot of advice on how to harness it since the country went through the same phase of economic sanctions and managed to adopt and nurture them into large corporations.
Since independence, Zimbabwe-Iran ties have grown from strength to strength.
Five years ago, President Robert Mugabe and his counterpart Iranian President Mahommad Ahmajinejad, launched the Motira Tractor Plant which is based in the Willowvale area in Harare.
Under the tractor scheme, farmers pay an initial deposit of 30 percent of the price and pay the rest in 24 months.
Motira also introduced a farmers’ improvement programme where they would be offered training to acquire adequate knowledge on the tractors being assembled in Zimbabwe in Willowvale.
Motira also assemble generators as well and produced agricultural implements such as disc harrows, planters, and ploughs for farmers here.