By Tikondane Vega
Nassau, June 13, Mana: Global leaders who are meeting in Nassau, Bahamas for 2024 Afreximbank Annual Meetings and AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum on Wednesday morning observed a minute’s silence at the start of their meeting to pay their respects to the late Malawi`s Vice President, Saulosi Chilima who died in a plane crash on Monday.
Director of the ceremony, Mark Eddo asked members to stand up and remain silent in remembrance of the loss of life in a crash of the Vice president on Monday.
He said this is to show solidarity with President Lazarus Chakwera who was scheduled to attend the meeting but failed due to the tragedy.
“Before we start the meeting, I would like to inform the house that Malawi president Dr. Lazarus Chakwera failed to be with us here because as he was about to depart he received bad news about the passing of his Vice. I therefore request all of us to stand up and observe one minute of silent,” he said.
In addition to the meeting gesture, several countries including South Africa also extended their condolences to the Malawi government and its people during their speeches.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mwaiwawo Polepole said the gesture shown by the gathering means a lot to Malawi saying it shows respect and love to the country.
“In particular its a huge respect to the departed Vice president and our president Dr Lazarus Chakwera. It means the world is with us during this painful period when our president was supposed to be here also for the meeting,” he said.
President Chakwera was supposed to arrive in Bahamas on Tuesday to be among several African leaders who have already arrived in the capital Nassau and are to deliver their keynote address on Thursday.
