Statement By His Excellency, Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President Of The Republic Of Zambia, During The Meeting With His Royal Highness The Duke Of Sussex, Prince Harry
On Monday, 26th November, 2017
Your Royal Highness:
I Am Happy To Welcome You To Zambia And State House In Particular. I Wish You A Wonderful Stay While In Zambia. I Hope You Will Successfully Enjoy What Has Been Arranged For You.
Your Visit Is Timely As It Has Coincided With The Commemoration Marking 100 Years Since The End Of The First World War. I Am Aware That You Will Be Meeting War Veterans. I Wish To Thank You For The Interest In Supporting These Veterans.
Your Visit Is The 3rd Official Visit To Zambia By A Member Of The British Royal Family In Seven (7) Years. Her Royal Highness Princess Anne Visited Zambia In 2012 And His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Earl Of Wessex, Visited In 2013.
We Know That Zambia And The United Kingdom Have A Lot In Common In History. We Have A Unique Relationship The Excellent Relations Premised On A Strong Foundation Of Mutual Respect, Transparency, The Rule Of Law And Good Governance.
I Wish To Express Our Gratitude For The Support That We Receive From The British Government Towards The Preparations For Zambian Peace Keeping Troops, Health, Education, Agriculture, Social Protection And Human And Economic Development Including Gender Issues.
Issues Of Gender And Education Are Quite Common And It Is Something We Share Common Concern. There Is The Issue Of Child Marriages Which Is Of Great Concern To All Of Us. We Are Trying To Address This Challenge Especially Cutting Out Cultural Practices Which Hinder Girls From Being In School.
Your Royal Highness:
I Further Wish To Applaud The Contribution Of British Investors In Zambia Who Are In Various Sectors Among Them Agriculture. Whatever Foreign Direct Investment (Fdi) Comes To Zambia Is Premised On The Rule Of Law And Anyone Who Comes To Invest In Zambia Are Guaranteed The Safety Of Their Investment.
Let Me Also Take This Opportunity To Congratulate Your Royal Highness On Your Appointment As President Of African Parks Whose Noble Objective Is To Conserve Wildlife.
I Wish To Reaffirm Our Commitment To The Conservation Of Wildlife As A Major National Asset, As Well As The Overall Development Of The Tourism. We Hope For Enhanced Collaboration With The United Kingdom In This Area.
As Zambia, We Continue To Value Our Membership To The Commonwealth. I Recall That Zambia Hosted The Commonwealth Summit In 1979 During Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Visit To The Country. I Hope There Will Be More Areas Of Cooperation Between Zambia And The British Government.
As I Conclude, I Wish To Congratulate His Royal Highness Prince Charles The Queen’s Designated Successor As Head Of The Commonwealth.
