ANKARA: Zimbabwe, a country that faces sanctions from some Western nations, is looking to Turkey for possible defense cooperation, an official said.
Formerly known as Rhodesia, the southern African country gained independence as Zimbabwe on April 18, 1980, from Britain. Citing colonial rule, Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Frederick Shava told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the sanctions against his country were “agitated by Britain, which was then a member of the European Union.”
Shava said the U.K. at the time asked the EU countries as well as the U.S. to cooperate on imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe.
“The reason being is that Zimbabwe had taken its land back from the colonial owners and distributed it to its own people. … However, one of the targets (of the sanctions) was the military aspects,” he added.
Due to being a former British colony, most of Zimbabwe’s military equipment was imported from the U.K. With the sanctions applied, the country is unable to get spare parts for the equipment from the EU or the U.S.
On that note, Shava said his country has “established its own defense industries and equipment, but the British would not supply us with anything we needed, even though the original product was from them.” – Agencies
