By Peter Sinkamba
PRESIDENTS HH AND ZELENSKY SPEAK ON PHONE: MY REACTION
President Hakainde Hichilema writes 👇
During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this evening, we noted our sincere appreciation for his government’s cooperation in the evacuation of Zambian citizens from the region.
We discussed issues of mutual importance and noted that peace and security remain priorities for our government, the region, the continent, and the world as a whole. Without peace and security there can be no development and prosperity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky writes 👇
“Had the 1st conversation with President Hakainde Hichilema in the history of bilateral relations with Zambia. Appreciate the support for Ukraine in international organizations. Noted help to Zambian students in evacuation due to Russia’s aggression. Ukraine will enhance interaction with the African region,” Zelensky posted on Twitter.
Green Party President writes 👇
It good that the President of Zambia took a neutral posture. The position taken by President HH is by far better than that of Malawian and Botswana Presidents who purveyed false narratives that Africa was starving due to Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian seaports. Yet, it is Europe that is starving. The west, using the UN system carried out a massive disinformation campaign to portray a picture that people in Africa were dying from hunger because of the blockade. This narrative made Africa a laughing stock for two reasons. First, because our continent is endowed with massive land and favourable climate compared to Ukraine. Second, because our continent is by far more populous that Ukraine. Therefore, for an African to parrot the western food narrative is an insult to our intelligence especially that the whole story was bogus.
On the issue of peace, it was important for President HH to underscore the fact that without peace and security there can be no development and prosperity. NATO is the major obstacle to sustainble global peace and prosperity because of its expansionary and terrorist activities in Eastern European, Palestine, North and Horn of Africa, and South East Asia.
Peace will forever be a mirage provided the west will turn a blind eye to Israel occupation of Palestine and daily killing of children and women. Yet, NATO shows concern on Russia annexation of Cremia, Donbas and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If NATO provides sophisticated weapons to Ukraine to fight Russian occupation of Cremia, Donbas and Luhansk regions, NATO must to the same by providing similar weapons to Palestine to fight Israeli occupation and terror in West Bank and Gaza. Short of equal treatment is hypocricy which no right thinking being must support.
On the issue of Zambian students evacuated from Ukraine, it is befitting to extend credit to Zelensky Government. However, credit must be extended to Russia which has offered free, free, free education for students to continue their studies in Russia at universities of their choice and at the same level they left in Ukraine since tuition and syllabus is the same. Mind you, education for the Zambian students in Ukraine is not free. Parents pay through the nose for the education.