Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has arrived in the UK for the COP26 summit.
This is the first time in 25 years that a Zimbabwean leader has set foot in the UK.
Relations between Zimbabwe and the UK became strained during the rule of Mr. Mnangagwa’s predecessor, Robert Mugabe, following the take-over of white-owned farms and violence against opposition members.
In a tweet, Mr. Mnangagwa thanked UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary-General António Gueterres for welcoming him to the summit being held in the city of Glasgow in Scotland.
Mr. Mnangagwa tweeted a picture of himself with the two, and said that “re-engagement is working”.
Critics have dismissed suggestions that the visit is a diplomatic coup for the government.
“This is a UN Climate change summit, not a bilateral meeting,” one said.
During the weekend, Mr. Mnangagwa told his supporters: “I have been invited by Boris Johnson, and he has indicated he might meet me one on one.”
On Sunday, a Zimbabwean government spokesman posted a video of two UK-based supporters of the ruling Zanu-PF party, with trolleys full of cartons of alcohol, to celebrate his arrival.
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SOURCE: BBCNEWS
