On May 30 and June 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Zambia Harry Kalaba will be in Moscow on a working visit at the invitation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

On May 31, the ministers will discuss the further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Zambian relations by building up a mutually beneficial partnership in the economy, culture and other areas, and the improvement and strengthening of the legal framework of multifaceted bilateral cooperation. 

In the context of the upcoming Zambian chairmanship of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union in June this year, Mr Lavrov and Mr Kalaba will discuss conflict settlement and stability in Sub-Saharan Africa, African Great Lakes region, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, the Horn of Africa, Libya and Syria. The ministers will discuss Russia’s cooperation with regional organisations, primarily the African Union and the Southern African Development Community. They will focus on the fight against international terrorism, extremism, cross-border crime and drug trafficking.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kalaba will highlight the importance of implementing intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and building the Nuclear Research and Technology Centre in Zambia.

Over 650 Zambians are receiving free or paid education at Russian universities. Zambia has been among leaders among the Sub-Saharan countries in terms of scholarships allocated by the Russian government. As many as 128 scholarships have been approved for Zambian students for the 2017/2018 academic year, including 20 scholarships for Zambians studying to become nuclear energy professionals.

Russia and Zambia are considering joint projects in the areas of mining, industry, tourism infrastructure, modern information technology, healthcare and tourism in Zambia.

Zambia is Russia’s longstanding reliable partner on the international stage. The two countries maintain a regular political dialogue, coordinate positions and support one another’s candidates within multilateral organisations, primarily the UN. The latest round of consultations between the deputy foreign ministers of Russia and Zambia was held in Moscow on February 17, 2017.