President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of July 8 with a delegation led by Kingdom of Swaziland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze and Mrs. Gamedze. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, extended a warm welcome to the visitors and called for continued strengthening of bilateral interaction and cooperation.
In remarks, President Ma noted that Minister Gamedze, who visited Taiwan last year as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, in the past has served as Minister of Home Affairs and after a recent cabinet reshuffle is now serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, which highlights his strong background and outstanding talents. Minister Gamedze, the president said, has won the deep trust of His Majesty King Mswati III.
President Ma mentioned that he received a warm welcome when he visited Swaziland two years ago. In April of this year, King Mswati III celebrated his 46th birthday and the president appointed Minister of National Defense Yen Ming (嚴明) as his special envoy to attend celebrations in Swaziland. Minister Yen received a warm welcome and was treated with the utmost courtesy during his visit, the president noted, adding that in May of this year Swaziland Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini made a visit to Taiwan. All of these visits point to frequent interaction at the highest levels of government on both sides and a stable alliance, he remarked.
President Ma explained that the ROC and Swaziland maintain cooperation projects in a number of areas. For instance, the King Mswati III International Airport has formally gone into service and it is now waiting for airlines to move in and begin operations, he said. In addition, the first phase of the Royal Bio-technology Park has already been completed. Both of these projects point to the success of bilateral cooperation projects, the president commented.
President Ma mentioned that Swaziland has consistently been a staunch supporter of meaningful participation for Taiwan in international organizations, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil Aviation Organization. King Mswati III also last year spoke on behalf of Taiwan during the General Debate at the United Nations General Assembly. The president specially expressed his gratitude to Swaziland for these gestures.
Also in the delegation were appointed MP Princess Ncengencenge of Swaziland's House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Swaziland Ambassador to the ROC Thamie Dlamini and Mrs. Dlamini, and Swaziland Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Political Under Secretary Thembayena A. Dlamini.