President Lazarus Chakwera says he is conducting tours to neighboring countries to know what is going on with the neighbours as he is a new kid on the block.
Chakwera said this at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe upon arrival from Zimbabwe where he held talks with Zimbawe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Asked if they discussed concerns over the Mnangagwa administration’s human rights record, Chakwera said he is conducting visits to the neighbouring in order to understand the issues going on with the neighbours as he is the newest president in the SADC region.
He, however, added that there are processes which are taken when discussing issues concerning human rights in a country.
“Even though we do talk about things of this nature, we have places where we take them on and we have a very good understanding of how we need to proceed,” said Chakwera.
He then noted that Mnangagwa, at a dinner on Wednesday night, commended Malawi’s strong institutions and Malawians’ respect for rule of law in relation to the nullified 2019 elections and the subsequent Fresh Presidential Elections.
On assertions that SADC leaders support each other even when one of them is violating their people rights, Chakwera who will take over as SADC chairperson next year said the grouping wants to make sure that it responds to the people’s needs and aspirations.
“These are issues that we need to be discussing and I am sure the current chairperson will lead us on to finds some of those solutions that will better the lives of our nations,” said Chakwera.
Last week, Chakwera also visited Zambia where he held talks with President Edgar Lungu.
