Rhoma Foreign Relations Institute has described President Hakainde Hichilema’s recent visit to the United States of America for the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as a huge success.
Rhoma Foreign Relations Institute (Rhoma Institute) Executive Director, Mr Lengwe Cornelius Bwalya said the exercise was a plus for Zambia’s foreign relations.
Mr. Bwalya observed that the President was flowless in addressing pertinent global Affairs that adversely were impacting Zambia and the region at large.
“We applaud our Republican President for his candid and bold stance on critical matters affecting the globe right now. For instance, the call on all parties directly and indirectly involved in the Ukraine-Russian War, to once again consider diplomatic solutions instead of war to the differences between the two nations at war” he said.
Mr. Bwalya pointed out President Hakainde Hichilema’s economic achievements at home as a landmark credit over the past year since his ascension to the office of Republican President.
“It’s imperative that we are objective about matters! The UNPD led government has scored economically and there are several factors to this effect. Macroeconomic indicators such as the reduction in inflation from a double digit to a single digit figure or the appreciation of the kwacha among others indicators, had a positive impact on the food basket of the nation,” he said.
Mr. Bwalya expressed hope for Zambia considering the amount of trade and Investment opportunities that the President had continued to push on the sidelines of the UNGA77.
He stated that as long as President Hakainde Hichilema continued on his trajectory to push for an Economic Diplomacy that is proactive in actualisation of benefits to accrue to the nation than a passive one that is based on rhetoric, then Zambia was set for a speedy recovery economically.
“We believe and understand more than anything that the people of Zambia are keen for development across all sectors and from what we have observed in the past one year of President Hakainde Hichilema’s reign, there is hope that our foreign policy tool in Economic Diplomacy will yield positive impact on the nation,” he reiterated.
Mr. Bwalya expressed gratitude to the Head of State for attending this year’s UNGA, suggesting that the UNGA remained one of the most single most important Multilateral meeting in the UN calendar.
“It’s an opportunity not only for leaders to interact but also share and express the views on diverse world affairs, chief among them peace for the world,” he said.
Mr. Bwalya observed that Zambia’s foreign policy was under a pragmatic transition.
“While we have maintained our foreign policy tool over the past three regimes now, from the Movement for Multiparty Democrat (MMD) to the Patriotic Front (PF) and to now the United Party for National Development (UPND), the manner of delivery continues to improve. And that why we continue to recommend to the government of the day to strive and professionalise the foreign service of Zambia to maximize ZAMBIA’s benefits from it’s interaction with the world,” he said.