The talks began yesterday by videoconference, reported Radio Okapi, and it is expected that the negotiations will allow the reopening of the borders between the two countries, closed by Zambia after the DRC banned the temporary import of products such as beer, soft drinks, cement, clinker and lime.

The advanced negotiations will lead to a meeting between the parties to be held in Lubumbashi, in the province of Haut-Katanga, to find a lasting solution based on the principles of the World Trade Organization, said the Congolese Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya.

The two countries also have a trade agreement, which will also be analyzed.

The Congolese Foreign Trade Minister stressed that the decree banning imports of beer and soft drinks into the DRC for 12 months is intended to protect the local industry and encourage domestic production.

The measure, however, generated not only displeasure in Zambia, but also among the Congolese population.

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