Mugabe in Turkey for G20 Summit
African Union chairman President Robert Mugabe is in Antalya, Turkey to attend the G20 summit which begins on Sunday.
Mugabe was met at the Antalya airport by the Governor of Antalya, Turkey’s Minister of Economy, Turkey government officials, and Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Iran and Turkey Ambassador Nicholas Kitikiti.
The President is accompanied by the First Lady Grace Mugabe, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and several senior government officials.
Because of the threat from ISIS threat, high security measures have been instituted for the summit. A total of 13 400 police officers including 1 400 traffic police, will be on duty during the summit 24 hours a day.
The venue for the summit which is situated in a resort called Belek has been declared as a red zone and no visitors without an accreditation card will be allowed entry.
Other heads of state who have also arrived include President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Senegalese President Macky Sall.
Zimbabwe is not a member of the G20 grouping but President Mugabe was invited in his capacity as AU chairman by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Other world leaders, including Chinese Pres Xi Jinping, US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, the three African heads of state who are in Turkey to attend the G20 Summit have held a consultative meeting ahead of the summit which will be officially opened on Sunday.
President Robert Mugabe who is the African Union chairman, Senegalese President Macky Sall who is the NEPAD chairman and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa whose country is a member of the G20 met for over an hour to consult and come up with a common position that will be presented to the summit.
The G20 is an international organisation bringing together 20 most powerful economies in the world.
Leaders of the G20 major economies including the United States, China, Japan, Russia, Canada, Australia and Brazil are expected to attend the meeting. ZBC News
