This is due to several factors, among them the inability to apply for loans, while blocking economic aid and the possibilities of exports, among other restrictions, the head of the mission told Prensa Latina in an interview.

Faced with this policy of economic hostility, the 15 member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in an act of solidarity, declared October 25 as the Day against Sanctions in support of Zimbabwe and the nations targeted by this punitive policy, the diplomat recalled.

Due to the effects of the sanctions and others caused by climate change, Zimbabwe’s economy, whose pillars are agriculture, mining and tourism, will see its growth shrink to 2 percent this year, according to projections by international organizations.

At the same time, about two in five Zimbabweans (or 6.7 million people) live at the extreme poverty line for lower-middle-income countries.

Chikawa stressed that punitive measures are not only arbitrary and unjust, but also illegal and in violation of international law, as they have not been authorized by the United Nations.

Cuba is another obvious example of the negative effects of this misguided sanctions policy, he stressed. They were imposed on Zimbabwe 20 years ago, while the Cuban people have endured them for more than 60 years, despite the fact that the world has called for the lifting of this senseless hostility in the UN General Assembly.

Both Zimbabwe and Cuba are focused on cultivating respectful, friendly and mutually beneficial relations with all countries and are open for business, the Ambassador said, noting that this is the instruction given by President Emmerson Emmerson Mnangagwa.

In other words, they are focused on economic development, instead of generating conflicts, said Chikawa. Therefore, it is unacceptable that Washington included and maintains Cuba on a list of countries suspected of sponsoring terrorism.

Chikawa affirmed that relations between Zimbabwe and the Caribbean island are excellent especially in the education and health sectors, although they can be diversified, and are not better because of the blockades they suffer, which prevents them from further development.

“Therefore, there is no reason for unilateral sanctions, on the contrary dialogue should be cultivated to resolve any problems that exist,” the ambassador argued.

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