Mudenda meets Russia’s chairman of the State Duma




Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Zimbabwe Jacob Mudenda and Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin
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SPEAKER of Parliament, Hon Advocate Jacob Mudenda met with Hon. Vyacheslav Volodin Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation this Sunday on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Parliamentary Conference currently underway in Moscow.

The Conference is running from the 18th to 21st March 2023 under the theme ‘RUSSIA-AFRICA IN A MULTIPOLAR WORLD’, placing the centrality of multipolarism and preponderance over unipolarism.

Speaker Mudenda and Chairman Volodin discussed various bilateral issues affecting the two Parliaments in a bid to strengthen the existing fraternal relations which can be traced as far back as Zimbabwe’s struggle for independence.

Advocate Mudenda recounted how Russia has always been an all weather friend to Zimbabwe from the days of the liberation struggle when Russia supported the military struggle against colonialism through the provision of arms and moral support.

Speaker Mudenda recounted how some luminaries in Zimbabwe’s quest for independence were trained in Russia, notably H.E President Dr E.D Mnangagwa and others after him.

The discussions between the two Parliamentary leaders also focused on cementing Zimbabwe-Russia relations, with Chairman Volodin noting that this is the third time the two Parliamentary entities have met in a space of six months, and this was commendable and historic, he posited.

Chairman Volodin commended Speaker Mudenda for prioritising the conference as testified by him attending in person.

Russia stressed that it seeks to strengthen multilateral relations with all African countries, in this particular case Zimbabwe, built on friendship, respect and non-interference in sovereign nation’s domestic affairs.

The Chairman of the Duma also spoke on the need for a just world order and a multipolar world where the rights of all nations are respected in spite of their economic stature or geographical size.

In a press briefing after their official meeting, Chairman Volodin reiterated that the illegal sanctions imposed on both nations are unjustified.

Furthermore, he echoed Hon Speaker Mudenda’s assertion that that the sanctions are a blunt coercive measure against sovereign States.

Earlier, Hon. Speaker Mudenda had noted how both countries, in light of the debilitating effect of sanctions, can achieve more by closely working together for the benefit of the two sister Republics.

The Chairman of the State Duma on his part, acknowledged the strong bilateral relations that accrue between the two countries, buoyed by the socio political hands on approach by Presidents, H.E Dr E.D Mnangagwa and H.E Mr Putin.

In the afternoon, Speaker Mudenda was part of a three persons panel that moderated over the roundtable topic, ‘ LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE TO ECONOMIC CHALLENGES.’

Speaker Mudenda laid the groundwork for the discussion when he articulated clearly on the Russia-Africa relations in contemporary times.

The Speaker also gave an impromptu response in the afternoon to another roundtable discussion aptly entitled, ‘Indivisible Security: The Capabilities and contributions of Parliament.’

The Speaker noted that history is littered with examples of civil wars that were only quelled by strong and effective legislative systems.

He cited in the United Kingdom, disturbances which where only stymied by the MAGNA CARTA (THE English great Charter which ushered Parliamentary Sovereignty in the House of Commons), as well as the USA civil strife that was only subdued after President Abraham Lincoln put in place effective legislative systems in 1865, that allowed Black Americans the equality of their citizenship and the vote.