‘Zimbabwe can overcome sanctions’

ZIMBABWEANS must emulate Cubans and pull in one direction to overcome sanctions imposed on the country by the West, chargé d’affaires and counsellor at the Cuban Embassy in Zimbabwe, Mrs Yoisy Ford Garcia, has said.

Speaking during commemorations of the Camilo-Che Ideological Day on Friday, Mrs Garcia said Zimbabwe will win the fight against the illegal embargo. The Camilo-Che Ideological Day is an annual commemoration of the work of Cuban revolutionaries Ernesto Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. “Zimbabwe needs to continue fighting against these sanctions because they are really affecting the country,” she said.

“Countries need to have their sovereignty and must have the opportunity to develop their societies. I believe if Zimbabwe unites as a nation, in spite of their different political backgrounds, and fight this enemy, they will overcome.”

Cuba has been under United States sanctions since 1960, two years after Cdes Fidel Castro and Che Guevara led the overthrow of the Washington-backed Fulgencio Batista regime.

Mrs Garcia said the sanctions have paralysed Cuba’s economy and its ability to trade with other nations.

“We have problems in procuring medicines because the United States has blocked ships from entering Cuba and they have blocked any direct cooperation between our country and other nations in Europe and Asia.

“All the time, they are trying to pressure other countries around the world to stop doing business with Cuba,” she said.

She further said the Cuban industry was hamstrung by restrictions to access raw materials.

“We are failing to develop our economy like any other country due to these sanctions and it is very difficult to access raw materials to manufacture medicines, for example,” she added.

“We have a lot of factories in Cuba and plants to manufacture medicines.

“For instance, during the Covid-19, we produced five types of vaccines, but access to affordable raw materials was really difficult.”