By SYLVESTER MWALE –

VICE-PRESIDENT Guy Scott says Zambia has enjoyed strong bilateral cooperation with India and would like to continue to work closely with the Asian nation for mutual benefits of the two countries.
Dr Scott said Zambia and India had managed to share necessary knowledge under technical and economic cooperation which dates back to 1964.
The Vice-President said at the reception for the Zambia-India Technological and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) on Friday evening that he was happy that there were 35 Zambians in the Asian country teaching Indians how to blast locks.
“This means technological transfer is not one-sided but in all directions,” Dr Scott said. “India has IT (information technology) specialists in Zambia who are also teaching Zambians.”
The ITEC was instituted in 1964 as a fully funded bilateral programme of assistance from the Indian government with the aim of helping development priorities of partner countries like Zambia.
Dr Scott said Zambia was also regarded as an expert in the fight for freedom after playing host to many freedom fighters in Southern Africa.
He said freedom fighters from South Africa, Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe, among others, were all hosted in Zambia during the time of independence struggle in these countries.
Dr Scott said that it was against this background that Zambians had learnt to co-exist and were accommodating.
Earlier, Indian High Commissioner to Zambia Gabdam Dharmendra said the year 2014 marked an important milestone in the bilateral relationship between Zambia and India.
Mr Dharmendra said as Zambia celebrated 50 years of independence, the Asian country was proud that it was among the first nations to welcome Zambia’s political liberation in 1964.
“From those humble beginnings, the preceding five decades have witnessed the strengthening of India-Zambia relations and the steady cementing of our friendship and the forging of a multifaceted and multi-dimensional partnership,” Mr Dharmendra said.
“Over these past five decades, Zambia has been an integral part of these cooperation programmes and over 2,000 Zambians have either undergone some form of training or skills development or capacity building programmes in India.”
He said the Indian community in Zambia was busy making plans to mark the Golden Jubilee year in Zambia’s history. (see picture on page 3)