Russia and Zimbabwe have established a mutually beneficial relationship in the area of agriculture and food production, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa told Sputnik Africa in an exclusive interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
“They [Russia] are supporting us with fertilizer so that we become self-sufficient. Zimbabwe has been self-sufficient in food security. But the biggest constraint we have is access to the appropriate fertilizer for our region. And that we can get from the Russian Federation,” the Zimbabwean leader says.
Commenting on the Western sanctions imposed on the southern African state, the president explained that they were designed to restrain economic growth and development in the nation.
“On the contrary, because of sanctions, we are more focused on our domestic resources to grow and modernize our economy. And we are doing better in the entire region in our economic growth year by year because of sanctions,” President Mnangagwa explains.
Zharare Martin, executive director of Citizens Against Economic Sanctions, described the sanctions on Zimbabwe and Russia by Western countries as “a blessing in disguise” because they have given both countries the opportunity to increase trade.
“These sanctions have come as a blessing in disguise that we can now […] work together because before the sanctions, we couldn't do what we are doing now with Russia. But because we are now fighting a common enemy, we can now […] increase our cooperation in the military, agricultural, and mining spheres so that we can tackle […] these sanctions,” the activist notes.
To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.
► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts.
► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole.