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In the margins of CHOGM Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson welcomed his Zimbabwean counterpart Foreign (and Trade) Minister Sibusiso Moyo to London for a roundtable with other international partners.

The historic meeting ushers in a new era in UK-Zimbabwe relations and symbolises Zimbabwe鈥檚 commitment to engaging meaningfully with the international community.

The Foreign Secretary said:

President Mnangagwa has been in power for 150 days and while Zimbabwe has made impressive progress, there鈥檚 still much to do.

That鈥檚 why Britain, the Commonwealth and the wider international community will do everything it can in supporting Zimbabwe on its path of reform.

But we must remember democracies are not made in a day.

July鈥檚 election will be a bellwether for the direction of a new Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Government must deliver the free and fair elections the people of Zimbabwe deserve and which it has promised. The UK stands ready in friendship to support a Zimbabwe that fully embraces the rule of law, human rights and economic reform.

There is a great deal of interest in Zimbabwe applying to rejoin the Commonwealth after their election in July. Applying is a matter for the Zimbabwean people to decide. Zimbabwe would have to formally apply to the Commonwealth Secretariat and the final decision would then be for all Commonwealth members. However, the UK would strongly support Zimbabwe鈥檚 re-entry and a new Zimbabwe that is committed to political and economic reform that works for all its people.

Today鈥檚 meeting reinstated the commitment of the British government to the people of Zimbabwe. The UK currently provides 拢91m in bilateral UK aid to the people of Zimbabwe in 2017/18. This includes the further 拢5 million the Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin announced to support free and fair elections during her visit in February.

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