Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe urged the West to revoke sanctions against his country for the sake of a new far-reaching development agenda.

Addressing a UN global gathering after the launch of a new development program, Mugabe praised what he called an “ambitious” development agenda that can “usher in a potentially glorious future.”

The US and EU have target individuals and entities in Zimbabwe that have undermined democratic processes or institutions.

However, the president acknowledged, his country lacks resources to successfully implement all of the program’s provisions because of sanctions imposed by western countries. “Freed of fetters of sanctions,” Zimbabwe will stand a better chance of implementing the goals, he said.