Zambian President Hichilema hails Türkiye's Erdogan for fostering stability in Eurasia region

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema hailed on Thursday his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for fostering peace and stability in the Eurasia region.

Hichilema also thanked Erdogan for Türkiye's unwavering support of Zambia's development initiatives in sectors such as health, tourism, education and media.

He made the remarks at the State House in the capital Lusaka as Istem Circiroglu, Türkiye's ambassador to Zambia, called on him to bid farewell as she concludes her tour of duty to the Southern African nation and its neighbor Malawi.

"Just to thank President Erdogan, the government and the people of Türkiye for the role they are playing to stabilize that region [Eurasia] because peace, security, stability are important to all of us. Instability anywhere is instability everywhere and President Erdogan, the government and the people of Türkiye have sacrificed a lot to stabilize that region, facilitate trade through the Black Sea, including the issues around Russia, Ukraine as well as migration," Hichilema said, adding that he looked forward to a scheduled state visit to Ankara.

He said Zambia admired Türkiye for its progress in economic development and the corporate business industry, and his country is eager to learn and share best practices from thereof.

Hichilema said Zambia and Türkiye share strong bilateral relations grounded in democratic values, good governance, rule of law and respect for human rights, adding that he also acknowledged Türkiye's growing partnership with Africa through trade and investment.

Circiroglu, for her part, said trade between Zambia and Türkiye stood at $52 million, and the two countries had room to further grow trade and cooperation.

"We have been and will continue to be a good partner to Zambia in many areas. We will continue working together in every field from trade to business, from Türkiye scholarships to other exchanges, as we strive to build a better future together," she added.