By 
Lubinda Haabazoka, an economist, has called on President Hakainde Hichilema and six African leader who travelled to Russia and Ukraine to engage the warring parties to also consider engaging the US government and NATO.
Last month, a delegation of African Presidents which included President Hichilema, along with six others visited Russia and Ukraine to engage President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in finding a solution to end the current conflicts.
Haabazoka said this in an interview with Zambia Monitor in Lusaka on Tuesday.
“African countries are among the few credible countries that can broker a peace agreement in this conflict especially that Africa is not part of the global tag of war for power and as such it stands a huge chance to be a peace broker,” he said.
Haabazoka said the African Presidents, including President Hichilema who took part in this initiative, should be encouraged to continue on this path.
He noted that Ukraine had clearly lost its ability to determine its own foreign policy and as such it is very appropriate that the Presidents also visit Nato and the USA to ensure an end to the conflict.
“Ukraine under these circumstances stands no chance of joining NATO because Russia will never allow that for security reasons! Zambia is not a member of NATO and we are not suffering because of that. Ukraine should copy from us and remain neutral!,” Haabazoka said.
He said Zambia had enjoyed peace since independence because of its neutrality on many fronts and that this was the spirit it should encourage in Europe, especially now that Africa was no longer that continent one can dictate to.
Haabazoka said the African Presidents should continue with this peace initiative so as to ensure that international trade was not disrupted.
“I think the world is fatigued with NATO expansion. We want the expansion of the United Nations so that all countries can live in peace. Countries like China and Russia will forever remain suspicious of NATO because for whom else is NATO being expanded? he has asked.
Haabazoka further said Europe should also rise to the occasion and look at the consequences of what is happening in Ukraine.
“The protests in France might be a sign that some European countries are neglecting their domestic issues because they are too concerned with politics,” he said.
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