……we want to increase diplomatic relations
Prague, November 14, 2018
The Czech Republic Foreign Minister Mr. Tomas Petricek is ready to come to Zambia as part of efforts to escalate diplomatic relations between the two countries. Speaking in the Czech capital of Prague Wednesday, Department of African countries Head Mrs. Nicol Adamcova said her government wants to consolidate her relations with the government of Zambia.
“We have moved our embassy from Harare to Lusaka where we will be coordinating our interests from in some of the countries of the southern African region”, Mrs. Adamcova said. She was speaking when Zambia’s Ambassador to Germany His Excellency Anthony Mukwita, who is in Prague for the presentation of his credentials as ambassador to the Czech Republic on a non-residential basis, paid a courtesy call on her.
Since reopening the embassy in Lusaka, which was closed at the beginning of the 1990s, the Czech Republic has embarked on projects in the agricultural sector that includes food processing.
In addition, the Czech Republic has identified investment opportunities and areas of official development cooperation in the energy sector defined as hydro generation and solar power plants.
“We want to signify our desire to consolidate our relations with Zambia with a visit of our foreign Minister to your country”, Mrs. Adamcova said.
Recently, the deputy Defense Minister of the Czech Republic was in Zambia and in turn the Zambian Defense Minister is expected to be visiting Prague as part of efforts to increase official cooperation.
“With your accreditation as ambassador to the Czech Republic, we can escalate our diplomatic relations”, Mrs. Adamcova told Ambassador Mukwita.
In response, the Zambian envoy told the Czech official that President Lungu is ready to escalate relations especially economic diplomacy.
“I am a bearer of the message from President Lungu that he is ready for economic diplomacy for the good of the peoples of the two countries”, the Zambian senior diplomat said.
Ambassador Mukwita expressed optimism at the prospects of increased cooperation especially that the Czech Republic has identified areas of cooperation that are in line with President Lungu’s priority sectors.
These include the agricultural and energy sectors in which deliberate policy decisions have been taken to facilitate investment.
For instance, in the agricultural sector, the Zambian government has set aside one million hectares of land for agricultural investment while scrapping subsidies in the energy sector to pave way for private sector investment.