President Edgar Lungu is on Wednesday expected in Congo Brazzaville to attend the Great Lakes Region Summit, Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba has revealed.

According to first secretary for press at the Zambian Embassy in Ethiopia Inutu Mwanza, Kalaba said this in Addis Ababa when he was transiting to that country ahead of the President.

Kalaba said it was imperative for the Head of State to attend the summit which he said was expected to table the Congo DR crisis.

He said President Lungu was deeply concerned that the political turmoil in the Democratic Republic of Congo had a direct effect on the Zambian people, and was eager to take part in the crisis resolution summit, being hosted by Congo Brazzaville.

Mwanza said the minister regretted that the instability in Congo DR had forced over 5,000 Congolese to seek asylum in Zambia.

“There comes a time in the life of a nation that we need to put politics aside and just push a national agenda. We need to go beyond the political divide to ensure that Zambia moves as one,” Mwanza quoted Kalaba as saying.

And the Minister Revealed that in November, President Lungu would be amongst other Heads of States and governments at the European Union Africa Summit which will take place in Ivory Coast, to discuss peace and security matters among other things.

“We know that the summit is coming at a time when the youth demographic is one which is being articulated on, we know that investment in the youth is investment in the future,” said Kalaba.