PRESIDENT Lungu will undertake visits to Italy and France, where he will meet Pope Francis and French President Francois Hollande, respectively, Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba has said.
Briefing journalists here, Mr Kalaba said the President will arrive in Italy on Thursday, February 4, and will meet Pope Francis the following day.
He said the President’s visit to Italy comes at the invitation of the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, who visited Zambia last year as an envoy of the Pope to celebrate 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Zambia and the Holy See.
Mr Kalaba said while in Italy, President Lungu will also meet director generals of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
He said the President will proceed to France on a State visit on February 6, and will meet with President Hollande on February 8. While there, he will attend a business forum and meet with selected high profile French businesspersons.
During the President’s visit, three agreements will be signed – one between Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and France24, the other between the University of Zambia School of Mines and the School of Mines of the University of Nantes, while the third will be a memorandum of understanding for co-operation between the Ministry of Finance and the France Development Agency.
President Lungu will be accompanied by Mr Kalaba, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Margaret Mwanakatwe and Minister of Energy and Water Development Dora Siliya.
May our father in heaven Jehova God continue protecting you & give you more wisedom
Useless meetings, when he comes back he’ll still be the same dictator a thug leader harassing the opposition.
I hope the Pope will tell Lungu to delete his PF tabernacle he is dreaming of
No wonder Miles (Kilometres) admires & thinks he can still go back to the days his uncle used to carry him around in the Challenger. Adopted Children – they quickly get used to luxury they ve not worked for. He is an UNDER 5 (something his Uncle had issues with) but he thinks he can be Presido. Where is Scot that used to mislead him? Now he is forming alliances with his fellow none entities! Katwishi!
Ba LT, was good to see the published photos were now HH and WYNTER are sitting next to each each! Nice eeehhh! What opposition politics can do. Best of friends now. Even GBM who only came out of a self imposed exile from his Defence Minister position to come & celebrate Wynter’s firing by Sata, suddenly was all smiles! They seem to be all in love. Soon they probably be announcing an alliance since Wynter runs the POST & HH now wants coverage to the extent of making some kind of apology to the newspaper. Nice one. Reconciliation is in the air pa Zed!
What a Lazy BUM …this is the man whom said he will cut down on travel…last week he was in Eastern Province now the lazy BUM is going on tour to the Vatican City, Italy for topping up his wardrobe…utterly useless man.
The ministers in those ministries could have surely done that, zungulila Lungu, when are you going to stop!!! Maybe you should also tell them that you unza students have not been given their allowances, that you also exported most of the maize and now you need to import the same maize back! Kikikiki, and oh, don’t forget to mention that mwanakatwe actually owes slot of public money which was intended for the poor….what more..mmmm
Can this man please finish up with his holidays and come and do some WORK!!!!
We have a useless Kwacha and load shedding. How is a tour in Italy and France going to fix those problems?
Or is he just wasting as much taxpayers money as he can on himself before he gets kicked out in August?
Simply look at that schedule…that is the role of a Cabinet Minister or Deputy Minister or PS not President…why is then taking Margaret Mwanakatwe and Dora Siliya on his trip??
Useless trip which will yield nothing apart from giving EL travel allowances, what do our missions in these contries do, Mogufu is the man he has banned all international travels for himself and his ministers.
The little money the contry has left will be used to pay foreign airlines for vip travels and hotel bills
Am very disappointed with the comments over the president mark words even if you change the president and still have this mentality of blaming the head of state you shall continue languishing in poverty. For instance in a class with best teachers or lecturers if you do not work hard can not qualify to any stage. Bring HH or Lungu if citizens don’t work extra hard to achieve better living you shall continue cursing you leaders. No wonder we don’t have christians in the country only satanists and educated literates all are colonial graduates. You think when you chAnge the government zambia shall develop no my brother or sister its you as an individual to develop. No wonder carl max said all property is theft
The President of Zambia Mr Edgar Lungu is on national duty and those who think that they are Presidents of the opposition can as well make a visit to Italy and France but alas they are not known on the international scene and are only known in Zambia as noise makers and bitter people who oppose anything and lack principles…
What can this clueless man say to the Pope or anybody else when he cannot even give a simple interview to BBC or CNN?
As a Zambian I am ashamed that this clown goes around as a representative of our Nation. People will think we are a country of very dull F00LS to have such mediocrity in charge of us!
Ba Zakeyo if you have nothing to say JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH.A Ba
Your Supreme leader will never win an election because of your insults and mind you this is not ZWD…
You can see UPNDers raving up for a coup!
Comment:zakeyo u are a fool.i think u a just kept bcoz if u were indpendt u wud ve felt d heat which pipo a feelg.viva hh
I have advised your fellow fanatic of the Supreme leader that insults will never put your leader in State house because of lack of principles and please drift away to ZWD where you insult due to your group think and failure to analyse issues…
Those opposing these two visits should understand that Zambia and the vatican have had diplomatic ties. So the issue of Lungu badmouthing the bishops does not arise. Lungu himself may be a catholic just like Sata was. The pope went to Kenya and met Uhuru Kenyatta one of the catholic presidents. Lungu and the pope may just call for closer cooperation on issues of provision ofsocial services in which catholics are so distinguished.They run good hospitals,schools and care for the disabled and other underpriviledged-closer cooperation between them and govt in these areas can only benefit Zambians!Lafarge,Total are French companies and these are big investors in Zambia. Besides France is one the leaders in harnessing solar energy which are trying to develop so this visit can bring spinoffs if…
..continued..if it is not intended to ask for favours for Larfarge at the expense of other cement producers!