UNITED States of America (US)
President Barack Obama has pledged to expand economic ties with Zambia through
increased bilateral trade and investment.
The US president also commended the
Zambian Government for consistently focusing on addressing public health
challenges.
Mr Obama said the US was committed to
assisting Zambia improve productivity in the agricultural sector.
"We laud the Zambian Government's
growing leadership in addressing public health challenges and pledge to
continue our investment through The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief
and other initiatives to combat infectious diseases and improve maternal and
child health" he said.
He was speaking at the White House in
Washington DC on Monday when he received a letter of credence from Zambia's new
Ambassador to the US Palan Mulonda.
Mr Mulonda is former director at the
Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) and was recently appointed
to serve in the Foreign Service.
This is contained in a statement
released by First Secretary for Press at the Zambian Embassy in the US Patricia
Littiya.
Mr Obama observed that both the US and
Zambia were dedicated to democracy, peace, health and the welfare of citizens
and others around the world.
He said this was evidenced through a
history of cooperation both regionally and internationally through peacekeeping
under the United Nations and support for refugees.
Presenting his letter of credence, Mr
Mulonda said Zambia considered the US as a key development partner.
The two countries, he said, continued
to benefit at Bilateral and multilateral levels in various areas of mutual
cooperation.
Mr Mulonda said Zambia had benefited
from the US through initiatives such as The President Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
He said Zambia was determined to
increase trade volumes with the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA).
"I shall seek to explore trade
and investment opportunities between our two countries in order to enhance
economic development," he said.
He said Zambia had been a champion of
democracy as seen through the holding of regular elections and peaceful
transition of power.
Mr Mulonda said the Zambian Government
under President Michael Sata was committed to upholding the rule of law.
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