By ophaniel.gooding@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – UK Foreign Secretary, the Right Honourable James Cleverly has expressed concerns over the negative impact that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is having on Sierra Leone.
The Foreign Secretary made it clear that “The UK understands the negative real world impact that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is having on Sierra Leone. Food price increases, fuel price increases are as a direct result of Russia’s violence in Ukraine and the use of economic coercion, the restriction of supply routes and the use of energy provision as a point of leverage. So we know that this war is not only having an impact on the people of Ukraine, it’s having an impact on the people of Sierra Leone every single day.”
The Secretary urged for a quick resolution to the conflict.
He drew parallels with the Sierra Leone Civil War and the UK’s support for its resolution, stating that violence must be resolved for the benefit of the people. He stressed that the end of the fighting must be meaningful and lead to a just and sustainable solution for Russia, Ukraine, and their respective borders.
He criticized Russia’s attempts to frame their invasion of Ukraine as an act of self-defense and called it “dishonest” and “transparently perverse.”
The statement also addressed the Africa Investment Summit and the UK’s desire for economic partnership with Sierra Leone. The UK Foreign Secretary emphasized the entrepreneurial spirit of the Sierra Leoneans and the UK’s desire to unlock economic opportunities and prosper together as close friends and partners.
He stressed the mutually beneficial, economically secure, bilateral relations between the two countries and highlighted that the UK and Sierra Leone could work together to pursue their mutual economic interests and contribute to each other’s prosperity. OG/13/3/2023