Zambia hosted the 16^th Session of the Za

Hon. Mulambo Haimbe Holds Bilateral Meeting with Mr. Cho Tae-Yul, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea

Seoul, 6th June, 2024 – Hon. Mulambo Haimbe, SC, M.P, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation held a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Mr. Cho Tae-Yul, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea in Seoul, on the margins of the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit.

During the meeting on Wednesday, Hon. Haimbe acknowledged the strong bonds of diplomatic relations between Zambia and the Republic of Korea. The Minister lauded the Republic of Korea for successfully hosting the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit. The Minister expressed Zambia’s support of the pursuit of peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.

Hon. Haimbe expressed gratitude to Korea for the support in sectors such as infrastructure; the donation of US$ 285,000 for the purchase of motor vehicles to support the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; the support rendered to Zambia’s education sector through KOICA, and the Global Korea Scholarships (GKS) Graduate Degree Programme.

Hon. Haimbe noted that Zambia is desirous to join the K-Riceblt Initiative under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through which Korea is supporting rice production in Africa. The Minister emphasised that Korean companies are welcome to invest in Zambia’s Multi-Facility Economic Zones to take advantage of the local market and regional economic markets, including the Southern African Development Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Additionally, the Minister underscored the need for cooperation between the Zambia Development Agency and Korea Trade Investments Promotion Agency to leverage on the Korean Government’s expanded Official Development Assistance of US$10 billion to develop practical projects including construction of industrial parks and complexes to encourage investment in manufacturing. This includes the US$14 billion export financing which the Korean Government will provide to encourage more activities by Korean companies to stimulate trade and investment in Africa.

On the energy crisis in Zambia, Hon. Haimbe called for cooperation with the Government of Korea and the private sector to create strategic partnerships in the energy sector.

The inaugural Korea-Africa Summit was held from 4th to 5th June, 2024.

Issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

mbia-Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation (JPCC) from 20^th to 22^nd March, 2023, in Lusaka.

The Mozambican delegation to the JPCC was headed by His Excellency Hon. Manuel José Gonçalves, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs while the Zambian delegation was headed by Ambassador Isabelle Lemba, Permanent Secretary International Relations and Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

During the closing ceremony, the Permanent Secretary noted that the Commission considered various areas of cooperation including Foreign Relations, Defence and Security, Immigration, Local Government, Customs Cooperation, Trade and Industry, Public Works and Housing, Finance, Planning and Development, Investment, Mining, Agriculture and Fisheries, Forestry and Wildlife, Environment, Tourism, Water Resources, and Disaster Management, amongst others.

The Permanent Secretary stated that the JPCC had enabled the two countries to identify new areas of cooperation to cater for new developments that had occurred since the last meeting of the Commission.

The Permanent Secretary called on the two countries to intensify efforts aimed at implementing the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to conduct a Mid-Term Review in between the JPCC sessions, in order to provide the much needed impetus for the implementation of the agreed areas of cooperation.

For his part, the Deputy Minister noted that the 16^th Session of the JPCC was a testament of special relations of brotherhood and friendship, and reaffirmed the determination of Zambia and Mozambique to continue walking together to ensure economic development and social progress of the peoples.

The Deputy Minister highlighted the remarkable progress recorded between the two countries in cooperation in Transport and Communications; Energy, and Defence among others, for mutual benefit.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the need to ensure the implementation of the existing agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in order to improve the livelihoods of the people in the two countries.

The Deputy Minister reiterated the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Mozambique to continue working with the Government of the Republic of Zambia in the implementation of joint projects, programmes and plans to further consolidate the excellent relations, brotherhood, friendship, solidarity and cooperation.

Earlier, during the opening session, the Permanent Secretary extended sincere condolences to the Government and people of Mozambique following the devastating effects of Tropical Cyclone Freddy and requested the Commission to observe a moment of silence for those that had lost their lives.

The Commission agreed that the 17th Session of the Zambia-Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation would be held in Maputo, in 2025, on dates to be mutually agreed.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation