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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday in what analysts said was an attempt by the two leaders to “diversify” their diplomatic ties.
Lukashenko, 68, landed in the capital Harare and was welcomed by 80-year-old President Emerson Mnangagwa and thousands of supporters of the ruling party ZANU-PF, according to the Belarusian president’s office.
As part of the welcome, about 5,000 people gathered on the tarmac at Harare’s Robert Mugabe International Airport to chant slogans and songs.
The two leaders, both facing Western sanctions, were due to hold an official meeting on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe’s foreign ministry said the talks were aimed at strengthening the “existing excellent relations” between the two countries in areas such as politics, mining and agriculture.
“This is the first visit by President Lukashenko to a sub-Saharan African country and is historic,” the ministry said in a statement.
His trip followed Mnangagwa’s visit to Minsk in 2019, after which Belarus opened an embassy in Harare. That comes from both countries under a degree of diplomatic isolation and their leaders and government officials subject to Western sanctions.
Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at British think tank Chatham House, said: “Both countries are seeking to diversify their international relations and are willing to cut back on US and EU sanctions imposed because of their poor record of human rights violations. I am affected,” he said.
“Historically, Belarus seeks to export mainly its military expertise and kits.”
Lukashenko has been in power for nearly 30 years and has overseen a brutal crackdown on protests following contested elections in 2020.
Mnangagwa came to power after generals forced longtime ruler Robert Mugabe to resign in 2017.
He is seeking re-election this year amid accusations of rights violations, including corruption and crackdowns on political opponents.
In 2021, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a consortium of investigative journalists, uncovered links between Lukashenko’s family and Zimbabwe’s gold mining operations.
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