ZIMBABWE's arms imports from transcontinental country Türkiye have been steadily rising since 2014, peaking at a total of US$267 000 in 2022, as the southern African country shifts its markets for armaments from the West, details from an international trade think-tank show.
Formerly known as Turkey, Türkiye lies at the crossroads of Southeast Europe and West Asia and has been cultivating increased cooperation with Zimbabwe, particularly in the field of security and defence.
The deepening of ties in the arena of defence between Ankara and Harare culminated when Defence and War Veterans minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri travelled to Türkiye in July, where she met her Turkish counterpart General Yaser Guler and signed the Military Framework Agreement.
The agreement, forged on the sidelines of the International Defence Industries Fair (Idef), was meant to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries.
While in Türkiye, Muchinguri-Kashiri also met with the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex board chairperson, Air Vice Marshal Nadeem Akhtar Khan, and discussed how Islamabad and Harare can bolster ties in military training.
Zimbabwe also has solid ties with Pakistan in the sphere of military cooperation.
Prior to Muchinguri-Kashiri’s visit to Ankara, Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister Fredrick Shava flew to Türkiye to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) in 2021, which now serves as a key forum for dialogue between the two countries.
The latest data gleaned from Trading Economics by the Independent this week shows that Zimbabwe’s purchases of military hardware from Türkiye steadily rose from below US$25 000 in 2014 to above US$267 000 in 2022.
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The set of Turkiye armaments exported to Zimbabwe can be viewed at the link: https://tradingeconomics.com/turkey/exports/zimbabwe/arms-ammunition-parts-accessories.
Though diplomatic ties between Harare and Ankara commenced in 1982, Türkiye opened its Embassy in Zimbabwe in 2011, while the southern African country established its own in Turkey’s capital in 2019.
According to Trading Economics, citing the UN COMTRADE database on international trade, Türkiye’s armaments shipments to Zimbabwe in 2022 were comprised of revolvers and pistols worth close to US$249 000, while spring air/gas guns, pistols, and truncheons accounted for slightly over US$10 000.
According to the same data, Zimbabwe also bought “parts of military weapons, revolvers, pistols, and muzzle-loading firearms” valued at US$8 020 fromTürkiye.
Broadly, Zimbabwe has been scouting and establishing new markets for military hardware after being barred from sourcing equipment from its traditional markets in the West, which imposed sanctions against it.
As a result of European Union (EU) and US sanctions, Zimbabwe is now predominantly procuring arms from friendly countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia.
