Ceremony of handing over Belarusian equipment to Zimbabwean farmers

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Zimbabwe President Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa took part in the ceremony of handing over Belarusian equipment to Zimbabwean farmers.

The Presidents were welcomed by Zimbabwean girls in Belarusian national costumes with a loaf in their hands. It was baked from local crops harvested with the help of Belarusian equipment.

Then the two leaders were briefly informed about the supply and maintenance of Belarusian equipment in Zimbabwe.

"I would like to thank the United States and the entire Western world for the sanctions. Otherwise, these would not be Belarusian tractors on this huge field today but U.S. and German ones," the Belarusian head of state said at the ceremony.

The participants of the event supported the head of state with a big round of applause.

Aleksandr Lukashenko recalled that once the current leader of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa asked him for assistance in the development of agriculture. "The history of the Zimbabwean people, their past were not easy. The President asked us for help in feeding the people, reviving the agricultural sector," the head of state recalled. "And I promised to help."

"Agriculture and about 1,000 tractors that we see here today are just the first trial step," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

"Please remember: we are separated by thousands of kilometers but we are always ready to help you and to accept your help. We are ready to lend you a helping hand any time, anywhere, in solving the most complex problems and tasks," the Belarusian leader assured.

He called on the people of Zimbabwe to stay united and wished everyone happiness, peace and good and also bread on the tables.

The Zimbabwe President stressed that Aleksandr Lukashenko and he do not believe in talking but in working and they want the outcomes of cooperation to be appreciable and visible. For example, like tractors in the field where the ceremony took place. “If you don't believe, you can come closer and touch them,” the Belarusian leader said jokingly.

Emmerson Mnangagwa noted that both Zimbabwe and Belarus are under Western sanctions. Therefore, it is not surprising that the two countries began to cooperate. “We are cooperating, helping each other in a practical way,” the Zimbabwean leader emphasized.

He noted that the agricultural sector is one of the mainstays of the Zimbabwean economy and the country has ensured its food security. “We have a vision and a friend who shares it. And we achieved this with the support of my brother, Aleksandr Lukashenko,” said Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Aleksandr Lukashenko gifted a tractor to his Zimbabwean counterpart who will be able to use it on his personal subsidiary plot. In turn, Emmerson Mnangagwa gave the President of Belarus a taxidermy lion - the king of animals and one of the strongest animals in Africa.