He wrote:
Today we held a bilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Italy, His Excellency Mr. Sergio Mattarella, in which we exchanged views on matters of mutual interest affecting our two countries.
Italy remains one of Zambia’s earliest collaborators in the social, cultural, and economic sectors, where they supported trade and economic partnerships, which advanced prosperity in our communities.
The Republic of Italy has played a pivotal role in supporting quality infrastructure development and has supported us in the construction of the Zambia – Tanzania Oil Pipe Line and the Kafue Gorge Hydro-Electric Power Project, among many others.
We expressed our sincere gratitude for Italy’s support in the fight against COVID19 pandemic, particularly in the procurement of vaccines and other related health products.
We also recognised the great works Italian Companies have played in the Zambian Trade and Investment portfolio, and expressed our readiness to embrace more Italian businesses that are looking for alternative markets.
We believe that equal partnerships with international partners can help our two economies to flourish in our priority areas such as Tourism, Mining, Agriculture, and Manufacturing.
Hakainde Hichilema,
President of the Republic of Zambia