Zimbabwe applies to rejoin CommonwealthHarare, May 21, 2018 (AFP) -Zimbabwe has applied to rejoin the Commonwealth, the group said Monday, marking a major step in the country’s international re-engagement after Robert Mugabe was ousted last year. The Commonwealth said it had received a letter dated May 15 from Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa applying to re-join. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted Monday: “Fantastic news that Zimbabwe ... wishes to rejoin the Commonwealth.”“Zimbabwe must now show commitment to Commonwealth values of democracy and human rights,” Johnson added. Zimbabwe had fractured relations with the West under Mugabe, who had held power since independence from Britain in 1980. If readmitted, Zimbabwe will become the fifth country to re-join the voluntary association of mostly former territories of the British empire, after Gambia, South Africa, Pakistan and Fiji.

Source: New Strait Times May 21, 2018 19:41 UTC