Zambia, India intensify cooperation

ZAMBIA and India have agreed to intensify cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral fora to address current global challenges such as climate change, peace, security and sustainable development.

According to a statement issued by special assistant to the President for press and public relations, Isaac Chipampe, Zambia and India also signed six Memorandum of Understanding during President Lungu’s state visit.

Mr Chipampe said President Lungu and his Indian counterpart, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, reinstated their strong support for the ongoing reforms of the United Nations and its principal organs with a view to making the institution more democratic, representative, transparent and e cient so that it could deal more e ectively with the myriad challenges of the contemporary world.

He said that the two leaders emphasised the importance of an early reform of the United Nations Security Council, in permanent and nonpermanent membership categories, so that it re ected the current realities and functions in an accountable, representative and e ective manner.

Mr Chipampe said they underlined the importance of reformed multilateralism.

He said Predsient Lungu expressed satisfaction with the regular high-level contacts between the two countries that provided the much-needed impetus to progressive enhancement and deepening of bilateral ties across the entire spectrum of cooperation.

“ e State visit, marked the beginning of a new era of cooperation between the two countries and was an important step in the enhancement of bilateral relations,” said Mr Chipanpe.

Mr Chipampe said that during the visit, President Kovind warmly recalled his fruitful visit to Zambia last year.

He said the two leaders reviewed the status of the agreements signed and decisions reached by the two countries during the State visit of President Kovind to Zambia and expressed satisfaction over the progress made.