Africa

Zimbabwe Thanks Russia for Help in Battling Western Sanctions

10:35 GMT, 29 March 2023
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Kirill Kurevlev
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Zimbabwe's relations with the US and the EU have been deteriorating since 2000, with the start of then President Robert Mugabe's land reform, resulting in nearly all white farmers losing their property. Following that, Washington and Brussels slapped sanctions on 141 people and about 60 companies in Zimbabwe over "gross violations" of human rights.
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Zimbabwe is grateful to Russia for helping fight the US-led Western sanctions, Mabel Chinomona, president of the country's Senate said on Tuesday, emphasizing that the African nation intends to further team up with Moscow to overcome the consequences of these illegal restrictions.

"The people of Zimbabwe are grateful to the Russian Federation for helping us fight the illegal sanctions imposed on our country," she said at a meeting with Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko. "Zimbabwe wants to maintain opportunities for its development, and it is for these purposes that we are partnering with your great country, which has always helped us."

Chinomona also praised Russia's commitment to helping the African continent as "a breath of fresh air for all African countries."
Furthermore, addressing a plenary session of the Federation Council on Wednesday, the speaker stated that Zimbabwe does not support the US-led Western sanctions against Russia and calls for a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine in accordance with the UN charter.

"Since the end of the Cold War, the West has persistently attempted to undermine the peaceful existence of Russia as a sovereign state. Work has been carried out through calculated and determined actions aimed at expanding the Western alliance to the very doorstep of the Russian Federation. As a result, the current conflict occurred," she elaborated.

According to Chinomona, the reaction of the West was "quite expected," as it out of "all forces tried to denigrate the Russian Federation, including imposing unilateral sanctions against Russia."
The politician stressed that Zimbabwe is itself a victim of the West's sanctions and understands that imposing such restrictions is not the way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

"Our President Dr. [Emmerson] Mnangagwa has called for the conflict to be resolved in accordance with the UN charter for the peaceful settlement of conflicts. Zimbabwe is a strong supporter of the UN charter and all its principles and purposes, including the peaceful settlement of disputes, and does not support the unilateral imposition of sanctions against Russia or any other UN member," she added.

The Zimbabwean politician said that during her visit to Moscow, she had already met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, highlighting the fruitful nature of the conversation.
"Ms. Golikova expressed the commitment of the Russian government to help the people of Zimbabwe in matters of health and agriculture. We are extremely pleased with the opportunity given to Zimbabwean doctors to come to your country to specialize in areas such as urology. This will seriously raise the level of healthcare in our country," Chinomona noted.
Last week, Zimbabwe's Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Communication and Publicity, Nick Mangwana, told Sputnik that the country looks forward to welcoming more Russian tourists.
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Moreover, several other high-ranking officials told Sputnik earlier that Zimbabwe is ready to expand its partnership with Russia in a number of industries, including mining, defense, and energy. And shortly, a new Russian language learning facility will be opened in the Southern African nation, according to Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education and Professor at the University of Zimbabwe’s Science and Technology Development faculty.
The international sanctions are seriously hampering the African nation's development, as Zimbabwe, for instance, has been unable to obtain fresh financing from multilateral lenders since the 2000s, including the IMF, the Paris Club, and the African Development Bank. In addition to having limited access to funding, the nation is also coping with other economic woes like hyperinflation, rising unemployment, declining agriculture, and shortages of essential items.
The sanctions were placed on the country at the turn of the 21st century because of purported violations of human rights, including the alleged "continued intimidation of political opponents and harassment of the independent press." Harare strongly refutes the accusations and requests the removal of restrictions.

After Mugabe had stepped down as head of state in the fall of 2017, the US and the EU kept the sanctions in place. As conditions for their removal, the US demands that Zimbabwe, in particular, ensure freedom of the press and economic reforms, as well as compensate white farmers who have lost their farms.
AfricaRussiaZimbabweSenateRussian Federation CouncilValentina MatvienkosanctionsUS sanctionsWestern sanctionsEU sanctionseconomic sanctionsrelationsSouthern Africa
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