South Sudan and Zimbabwe are negotiating oil and other bilateral trade deals as the two countries enhance their diplomatic ties, according to Zimbabwean media.

Director for International Organisations at South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador John Andruga Duku, confirmed the development on Thursday in an interview with News Day at the end of a study tour of Zimbabwe’s immigration management by a delegation from his country.

 “It’s true we are working on a number of co-operation agreements with Zimbabwe. We need to develop our bilateral agreements and oil and other things will be part of that agreement,” Duku said.

The South Sudanese diplomat further said they wanted the agreement reached expeditiously. “We hope to arrive at a win-win situation for all of us and we need to do it sooner rather than later,” he said.

The world's newest country is one of Africa's biggest oil producers and is being assisted by the Chinese to exploit its oil resources.