By JAMES KUNDA –
ETHIOPIAN Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has arrived in the country on a three-day State visit.
Mr Desalegn touched down at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka yesterday at 15:49 hours aboard an Ethiopian airline Boeing 737-800 plane and was received by President Edgar Lungu.
Service Chiefs, Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba, State House staff, other Zambian Government officials and their counterparts from Ethiopia also witnessed the arrival.
Upon touchdown, Mr Desalegn, who is accompanied by Ethiopian Government officials, was accorded a presidential salute, coupled with a 21-gun salute by the Zambia army.
He also inspected a guard of honour mounted by the second battalion of the first infantry brigade of the Zambia army.
The visibly excited Mr Desalegn and President Lungu then witnessed several performances by the Zambian Cultural Ensemble and Patriotic Front choirs before departure from the airport.
Mr Desalegn’s visit is expected to translate into enhanced linkages between the two countries.