Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister LT. General (Retired) Sibusiso Moyo, in direct response to the extension of sanctions on Zimbabwe by the United States of America (USA), said the renewal of sanctions on the Southern African country is contrary to the spirit of re-engagement between the two countries.
The US extended sanctions on Zimbabwe by a year to March next year.
“The Government of Zimbabwe reiterates once more that the renewal of sanctions on the country is tantamount to a political agenda setting and is contrary to the spirit of re-engagement, the pillar of the otherwise thawing relations between the USA administration under President Trump and the new political dispensation in Zimbabwe under President E.D. Mnangagwa,” Moyo said.
“In maintaining sanctions, the USA has lost a rare opportunity to demonstrate its goodwill in normalising our relationship,”
The Retired General said sanctions should be removed as they are inhuman and an unnecessary setback to efforts to improve relations between nations.
“Sanctions in any form are coercive, harsh and detrimental to any intended objectives and should not have a place in contemporary diplomatic relations and discourse,” said Moyo.
“Sanctions affect mostly the poor and worsen the economic conditions they are intended to correct.”
“The Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe regrets the rolling over of Executive Order 13288 of March 2003 (Sanctions) on Zimbabwe over alleged shortcomings of Zimbabwe’s political governance,” Moyo also said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister added that the new dispensation and the Second Republic, which accuses Western countries of interfering with domestic politics, will not be distracted from pursuing the vision of making Zimbabwe a middle-income country by 2030 from whatever quarter.
“The unprecedented political reforms which opened the political space to all players prior to the land mark harmonised elections in July 2018 will continue,” Moyo said.
“So too will economic reforms that have opened the business operating environment, including the liberalisation of the investment laws and fiscal and monetary policies.”
“In all its actions, the Second Republic shall be guided by the paradigms of maximising on national interests and the improvement of the general welfare of its citizenry, went on Moyo.
The US government imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe for it called ” undermining democratic processes.”
Zimbabwe says sanctions came into effect after the “successful land reform” program where land was transferred from white farmers to the black people.