President Ma Ying-jeou met with Hon. Lutfo Ephraim Dlamini, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Swaziland, and Mrs. Dlamini at the Presidential Office on the morning of June 22. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a cordial welcome to Minister and Mrs. Dlamini on their visit to Taiwan.
The president commented that Foreign Minister Dlamini is a senior political figure in Swaziland. Over a decade ago he was a parliamentarian and he served as Minister for Enterprise and Employment prior to his current position. His outstanding performance was appreciated by King Mswati III and in October 2008 he was appointed to his current post, he said. This marks the first visit to Taiwan by Foreign Minister Dlamini in his current position, making this trip especially significant, the president said.
President Ma noted that the ROC and Swaziland have enjoyed a stable diplomatic alliance for 42 years. King Mswati III has visited Taiwan 11 times, most recently two years ago when he led a delegation here to attend President Ma's inauguration. Other important figures from Swaziland who have visited Taiwan include the Queen Mother, the deputy prime minister, the minister of justice & constitutional affairs, and the minister of economic planning and development, the president said. The two sides frequently exchange visits and maintain close interaction, which points to the deep friendship between the two nations, he said.
President Ma stated that the main purpose of Foreign Minister Dlamini’s visit to Taiwan this time is to hold an investment seminar to attract companies to invest in Swaziland. Over 20 Taiwan companies presently have investments in Swaziland, with aggregate investment at over US$80 million. The president said the ROC government is pleased to provide any assistance it can to encourage even more Taiwan firms to invest in Swaziland. Meanwhile, he said, Swaziland spoke on behalf of Taiwan last year in advocating Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA). Also, in September of last year, King Mswati III during the United Nations General Assembly also expressed his nation's support for Taiwan's entry into the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC). The president expressed his deepest appreciation for these efforts.
Lastly, President Ma showed Foreign Minister Dlamini an LED lamp designed and manufactured in Taiwan, and explained that the ROC is currently promoting a “Lamp for Africa” project in Burkina Faso. The president said that the ROC and Swaziland have already signed a cooperative agreement under which the ROC will share its development experience, technology, and resources with Swaziland, and he hopes that there will be an opportunity to promote the “Light for Africa” initiative in Swaziland, so that schoolchildren in Swaziland will have light to study by at night. This will also help further promote Swaziland's economic development, he said.
Foreign Minister Lutfo Dlamini and Mrs. Dlamini were accompanied to the Presidential Office in the morning by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang to meet President Ma. Also in attendance was National Security Council Advisor Tung Kuo-yu.