Foreign news
Chinese ambassador: Xi’s visit to usher in next ‘golden’ 30 years of Sino-Kazakh ties
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kazakhstan will open up another “golden” 30 years of China-Kazakhstan relations, Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao said during an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG).
Noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan, Zhang said the bilateral ties have been continuously lifted to higher levels with new results achieved. He said he is confident that the visit will provide a new blueprint, impetus and vigor for bilateral ties.
The Chinese ambassador said President Xi’s choice of Kazakhstan for his first visit after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic reflects the high importance China attaches to its relations with Kazakhstan and the high level of permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between the two.
According to Zhang, the two countries’ trade volume reached $17.69 billion in the first seven months of the year, up by 18.9 percent year on year.
Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the rapid and healthy development of Sino-Kazakh interconnection has made an important contribution to the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, he said.
The Belt and Road Initiative has proved to be a mutually beneficial road of friendship, prosperity and success for China and Kazakhstan, Zhang said.
Referring to the cooperation between China and Kazakhstan in the framework of multilateral organizations, Zhang said China and Kazakhstan are both founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Over the past two decades, the two countries have always upheld the “Shanghai spirit,” maintained close communication and collaboration within the SCO framework, facilitated cooperation among SCO countries in various fields, and made important contributions to the promotion of regional security, stability, development and prosperity, said the ambassador.
He said China and Kazakhstan support the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and other mechanisms in promoting the settlement of the Afghan issues and working together to address regional hotspot issues.
Zhang also stressed that China actively supports the Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, which will be hosted by Kazakhstan later this year. Wishing the meeting success, he said he believes it will inject new momentum to enhance trust and strengthen cooperation among Asian countries.
(Cover: A China-Europe freight train arrives from Kazakhstan at Xinzhu Station in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, Northwest China, February 3, 2021. /Xinhua)
Foreign news
NTAC Hails Tinubu; Volunteers Ready to Positively Impact Nigerians
Joel Ajayi
The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has commended President Bola Tinubu for funding the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) Scheme.
The Director General (DG) of NTAC , Dr Yusuf Yakub, made the commendation during a ceremony to receive five returning TAC volunteers from Zanzibar, Tanzania on Tuesday in Abuja.
The returning volunteers also expressed readiness to impact knowledge gained from participating in the programme on Nigerians.
TAC is a mechanism for Nigeria’s foreign aid and technical assistance to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries through the use of Nigeria’s abundant trained manpower.
Yakub lauded Tinubu’s visionary leadership and steadfast support for the TAC Scheme.
Welcoming the volunteers who had discharged themselves as worthy ambassadors in Zanzibar, the D-G thanked them for their patriotism, dedication to service and for making Nigeria proud on the international arena.
The NTAC boss highlighted the importance of knowledge-sharing, while announcing that certificates of completion will be presented to the volunteers in line with the noble objectives of the service.
He also emphasised the volunteers’ crucial role in passing on the skills and experiences gained in Zanzibar.
He expressed optimism that their efforts would positively impact the lives of Nigerians across the country and shape the expectations and service-delivery of future prospective volunteers.
Earlier speaking, Amb. Zakari Usman, the Director of Programmes for NTAC, expressed gratitude to the D-G for his unwavering support and provision for the volunteers throughout their service period.
He said that the volunteers had so delivered on the mandate of the agency that citizens of Zanzibar did not want them to leave their country.
Popoola Adegoke, the Team Lead and a Mathematics Instructor for the batch of returning volunteers, was full of gratitude to the Federal Government for providing them the opportunity to participate in the scheme.
Adegoke said that Nigeria, was well blessed and had the abundance of both human and natural resources to contribute meaningfully to the development of many countries of the world.
He said that the need to continue the TAC Scheme was not negotiable, owing to its high impact and results.
Mohammed Salisu, a Physicist, said that the experience had broadened his horizon as his orientation during the last 24 months in Zanzibar, especially on the cultural exchange.
He lauded the government for the scheme, saying that Nigeria is seen and perceived to be higher in all ranking, especially in the standard of living and educational system.
He also appealed to the government to sustain the scheme to close the gaps both the educational and professional systems in the African, Caribbean and the Pacific Countries.
NAN
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