Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

Thamie Dlamini, the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of Swaziland to the ROC, at 9 a.m. on the morning of May 21 presented his credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou in a ceremony at the Presidential Office. The president, in addition to extending a cordial welcome to Ambassador Dlamini on taking up his new position in Taiwan, also expressed his desire for a continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation and a long lasting alliance between the two countries.

In remarks, President Ma stated that the two nations established formal diplomatic relations on September 6, 1968, and since that time the two sides have maintained extremely close interaction and cooperation in the areas of agriculture, health care and medicine, education, and infrastructure. The president said this cooperation has yielded many significant achievements and is widely popular in Swaziland.

President Ma stated that two years ago during a visit to Swaziland he visited a facility established with assistance from the ROC that provides basic vocational training courses. In addition, he said, the ROC is presently actively engaging in a variety of bilateral cooperation projects with Swaziland.

The president stated that Swaziland has consistently been a resolute supporter of meaningful participation for Taiwan in international organizations, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil Aviation Organization. He expressed gratitude to His Majesty King Mswati III for speaking on behalf of the ROC at the UN General Assembly last year.

The president remarked that former Swaziland Ambassador to the ROC Njabuliso Busisiwe Gwebu spent many years in the ROC and also served as the head of the foreign diplomatic corps here. Ambassador Gwebu is a loyal friend to the ROC for many years, he said, adding that he hopes Ambassador Dlamini will build on the outstanding foundation created by former Ambassador Gwebu and will enjoy success in the work that he carries out here. Lastly, the president said he hopes Ambassador Dlamini will be able to further promote mutual cooperation and interaction, and further deepen the bilateral alliance.