On the morning of April 2, President Ma Ying-jeou met with the Kingdom of Swaziland Ambassador to the ROC Njabuliso Busisiwe Gwebu and thanked the outgoing ambassador for her contributions to relations between the two countries during her tenure in Taiwan.
In remarks, the president noted that Ambassador Gwebu has served as ambassador to the ROC since 2005, and has now spent over nine years here. President Ma commented that she previously served as the head of the foreign diplomatic corps here and has for many years been a faithful friend to the ROC. He stated that she has made outstanding contributions to relations between the two nations and that he is extremely reluctant to see her complete her tenure here.
The president further stated that the ROC and Swaziland have maintained diplomatic relations for 46 years and that high-ranking officials from the two countries maintain frequent interaction. He noted that Swaziland's King Mswati III has visited Taiwan five times since 2005, adding that he himself led a delegation from the ROC to Swaziland two years ago. Ambassador Gwebu accompanied the delegation on that visit to provide assistance, and her efforts helped ensure a smooth and successful visit, he said.
President Ma commented that the ROC and Swaziland have held eight economic cooperation conferences, and are seeing an increase in educational and student interaction. As an example, he pointed out that the Mining Engineering Elite Program was established last year at National Taipei University of Technology. In addition, existing cooperation projects are moving forward smoothly, in particular thanks to the liaison provided by Ambassador Gwebu. Also, the president mentioned, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂) on March 23 acted on his behalf in presenting to Ambassador Gwebu the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon in recognition of her achievements in promoting relations between the two countries.
The president noted that Ambassador Gwebu's next posting will be Permanent Representative of Swaziland to the United Nations, World Trade Organization, and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. This, he said, indicates that her outstanding academic background and experience are regarded highly by King Mswati III. President Ma noted that the ROC in recent years has been actively working to join international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He expressed hope that Ambassador Gwebu will help Taiwan join these organizations.
Lastly, President Ma again thanked Ambassador Gwebu for her efforts to promote relations between the ROC and Swaziland, and wished her success in her new post.