The European Union (EU) on Friday said it was looking forward to constructive engagements with Zimbabwe’s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa took over the country’s top seat in November following the resignation of 93-year-old Robert Mugabe, which was prompted by a military take-over.
Mugabe’s 37-year-old reign came to an abrupt end in just three weeks after he fired Mnangagwa from the vice presidency. It was widely reported that he was set to replace the 75-year-old with his wife, the then First Lady Grace Mugabe.
Relations between the EU and Zimbabwe under Mugabe were strained following the blocs imposition of sanctions on the government after it embarked on a controversial land reform program that drove white farmers out of their farms.
In a statement released on Friday ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels next week, the EU expressed its commitment to re-engagement with Zimbabwe after years of frosty ties.
The EU in the statement said the meeting is expected to welcome the stated intention of the new Zimbabwe administration to deliver economic reforms.
Mnangagwa said he would ensure an economic reform in Zimbabwe, as well as hold an election this year. Those elections will the first to be held in the country without Mugabe participating.
