President Tsai Ing-wen said April 19 in a birthday call to His Majesty King Mswati III that Taiwan will continue cooperating closely with Eswatini in promoting national development and inclusive prosperity for the benefit of the people.
 
Taiwan is committed to deepening friendship and expanding exchanges with the Kingdom of Eswatini in areas such as agriculture, energy, information and communication technology, infrastructure, public health and trade, Tsai said. Efforts to date have seen the long-standing diplomatic ally in southern Africa achieve significant progress in delivering effective government, she added.
 
Tsai, who made the remarks while conveying 53rd birthday wishes to the king on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, was accompanied by Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu during the call made from the Presidential Office in Taipei City.
 
According to Tsai, Taiwan is grateful for the rock-sold support shown by Eswatini for the country’s participation in the international arena. It is sincerely hoped that once COVID-19 eases, the king and the queen mother will visit Taiwan and experience firsthand the appreciation of the people, she said.
 
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “Minister Wu accompanied @iingwen during her call to His Majesty King Mswati III on the occasion of his 53rd birthday. We wish His Majesty a healthy & blessed life as he guides #Taiwan’s #Africa ally #Eswatini along the path toward sustainable development & greater prosperity.”
 
Taiwan and Eswatini established diplomatic relations in 1968. The countries successfully implement collaborative projects improving education, rural electrification, medical care and women’s empowerment in line with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, according to the MOFA. (YCH-E)
 
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw