President Ma Ying-jeou and Mrs. Ma met on the evening of May 29 with a delegation led by His Majesty King Mswati III and Her Majesty Queen Inkhosikati LaNtentesa of the Kingdom of Swaziland. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, expressed a cordial welcome to the visitors.
In remarks, the president noted that the ROC and Swaziland have maintained diplomatic relations for 45 years. The two nations enjoy a stable alliance, and people-to-people ties are quite close, he said, pointing out that since his visit to Swaziland in April of last year he has met with King Mswati III three times within the past year. And in his over five years as president, he has met with King Mswati III more often than any other foreign head of state. President Ma also noted that in the 27 years that King Mswati III has been on the throne, he has visited Taiwan 14 times, which highlights the close relationship between the two countries.
President Ma also said that the ROC and Swaziland maintain close cooperation in the areas of agricultural technology, vocational education, and medicine & health, where quite a few achievements have been seen. For example, the ROC has played an instrumental role in the construction of Sikhuphe International Airport and the Royal Science and Technology Park in that nation. In addition, rural electricity and water projects have brought electricity to 65% of Swaziland's rural residents and safe drinking water 71%. These figures far exceed the objectives set forth in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, and put Swaziland among the leaders in Africa in this regard, which the president said that he quite pleased to see.
President Ma also expressed his deepest appreciation to Swaziland for speaking on behalf of the ROC at a variety of international venues and in support of meaningful participation for the ROC in international organizations and activities. He also called for continued enhancement of bilateral relations and a lasting alliance between the two countries.
The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Kingdom of Swaziland Ambassador to the ROC Njabuliso Busisiwe Gwebu to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添) and Mrs. Yang, National Security Council Secretary-General Jason C. Yuan (袁健生) and Mrs. Yuan, and Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂) and Mrs. Lin.