Maravi

Turkey asks Sata to reinstate Guris Holding airport contract

Turkey asks Sata to reinstate Guris Holding airport contract
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe in Genève, Switzerland
Sat 17 Dec. 2011, 13:58 CAT

THE Turkish government has asked President Michael Sata to reverse his earlier decision to cancel a licence awarded to a Turkish holding to construct and manage Kenneth Kaunda International Airport for 50 years.

Turkish Minister of Economy Zafer Çaglayan said before signing an agreement on trade and economic cooperation with Zambia's commerce minister Bob Sichinga here yesterday that Guris Holding, which was halted from reconstructing the country's biggest airport was eager to start the works.

Guris was awarded the contract by former president Rupiah Banda's regime.

But on October 14, President Sata cancelled the deal saying building a new airport was an important venture and needs cabinet approval and advertising.

"Before signing our agreement, I would like to draw your attention to something…we have a big Holding Guris, they have been awarded a tender to construct Lusaka's Kenneth Kaunda Airport on the 6th of June this year," Çaglayan told Sichinga through an interpreter.

"So, they will be operating the airport for 50 years, they have been awarded the contract. On 27th of June, they started the negotiations about the contract, they have agreed on most of the points because of the presidential elections, it has been off…for a while."

Çaglayan told Sichinga that Turkey's President would soon be formally asking President Sata to reverse the cancellation.

"By the way, our President is set to talk to your President. There is a note that has been prepared for this very topic, and I would like to reiterate that our company is ready to start the business as soon as possible because this will be a major component of our political and economic relation of the two countries," he said.

And Çaglayan said Turkey wants to supply mobile hospitals and ambulances to boost health service delivery in Zambia.

"We are a country that is supporting the African nations in terms of the economy, education and health and we want your citizens to have a better welfare and high life standard," said Çaglayan.

"We don't even consider that which is left below the soil, we are only thinking about which is above the soil - the human resources and humanity. Our Ministry of Health and also educational institutions have been supporting Africa greatly and we have mobile hospitals and mobile ambulances and we have no economic expectations out of it."

And Sichinga, on the request regarding the KK International Airport tender, said: "It's important to ensure the agreement is of a general nature but there will specifics with regard to areas of cooperation including that of not only the Turkish airline flying into Zambia but issues you have raised about the tenders for Lusaka's Kenneth Kaunda International Airport."

Sichinga said the planned connection of KK International Airport on the vast Turkish Airlines routes would help grow Zambia's commerce and industries.

"Business should be to benefit the people, not to exploit them. We are very clear in our minds, neither do we come to the table to suck Turkey of any resources but we look forward to a mutual relationship of respect and regard for human dignity," Sichinga said.

"We also have challenges of great number of young people that need employment, so, our interest is not export raw materials but develop them, process them at local level. Not only are we talking about metals but also agriculture, livestock."

Sichinga said the PF government has a challenge of creating employment for the great number of young people that voted it into office during the September 20 polls.

He said Zambia was looking for technological and highly skilled investment opportunities to help create a strong industrial base to absorb the high youth unemployment in the country.

Sichinga said Zambia did not want a relationship of ‘horse and rider' but that which was mutually beneficial.

The agreement signed bordered on Zambia and Turkey considering their common interest in promoting trade and economic cooperation on the basis of mutual advantage.

Labels: FDI, ROBERT SICHINGA, TURKEY

posted by MrK @ 9:29 PM