Africa-Press – Eswatini. The Kingdom of Eswatini and the Russian Federation have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral ties.
The two countries have agreed to look into further areas of mutual cooperation and exchange visits. One of these visits is an invitation to the country to observe the Russian elections, scheduled for March 15–17, 2024.
This would be a reciprocal invitation, as a 16-member observer mission from Russia was in the country for the recent national elections, that ushered the current Tinkhundla constituency representatives and appointees into the 12th parliament.
The invitation was extended by Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergej Lavrov during bilateral talks with His Majesty the King yesterday.
His Majesty appreciated the long-standing relations between the two countries, saying Emaswati valued the support extended to the kingdom in various sectors.
Increased
He shared possible areas of increased cooperation, investment and trade, highlighting the need for developing an independent source of power for the country.
He said the scholarships offered to Emaswwati by Russia have produced essential doctors for the country and the demand is growing.
Lavrov extended an invitation to Foreign Affairs Minister Pholile Shakantu to visit Russia to take forward these discussions and identify areas for possible increased cooperation. He said Russia had also been pleased to host Members of Parliament from Eswatini on several occasions.
The minister noted the possibilities of increasing trade, as well as exploring companies that may have interest in electricity generation in Eswatini.
The Russian government is also keen to pursue the possibilities of nuclear energy as an alternative source of power. Lavrov said his country was also ready to engage oil and gas companies to explore opportunities here.
He further assured His Majesty of continued scholarships to Emaswati, saying currently they have 18 but are ready to consider an increase in the number going forward.
KING CHALLENGES DEIK TO SURPASS E95M TARGET
ANTALYA,TURKIYE – His Majesty the King yesterday challenged the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEIK) to ensure that trade between the two countries exceeds E95 million (US$5 million).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, during a bilateral meeting with the King, that in the short to medium term, he would like to see trade between the two countries grow beyond US$ 5 million.
Yesterday, the king expressed his desire to see Türkiye-Eswatini trade grow beyond this target when meeting with World Türkiye Business Council President Nail Olpak at the Regnum Carya Conference Centre.
These talks were followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Commerce, Industry and Trade Minister Manqoba Khumalo.
Khumalo was accompanied by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Pholile Shakantu, Eswatini Ambassador in Brussels Sibusisiwe Mngometulu, Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA) Board Chairman Theo Hlophe and EIPA CEO Sibane Mngometulu.
His Majesty the King is in Türkiye to attend the 3rd Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
“We are here to establish new relations that would see the two countries expand and grow their trade balance. We are clear that while we discuss resolving issues using diplomacy, we are also aware that such is threatened by the gap between the rich and poor. We see business as a solution to closing that gap,” the King said.
His Majesty said the MoU should grow into a proper trade agreement between the two countries as a result of increased trade.
“We would be happy to welcome you in various sectors within our economy, be it ICT, transportation, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism and communication, to name but a few.
We would also be pleased if Turkish businesses could establish their headquarters for their companies operating in Africa. If you have tried it in the past with little success, do it again. We will see what sort of incentives we can offer. Having said that, we are also looking at Türkiye as a market for our products,” His Majesty said.
In response, DEIK President Olpak assured the King that they are not just signing the MoU but will put systems in place to ensure that they measure the outputs of their involvement in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
“An MoU without targets is nothing without work.” We need to work hard to ensure that we deliver on our commitments.
“In fact, we are alive to the fact that Africa was colonised and therefore we must not behave like hunters who only come and kill game. But we must be partners by ensuring that both countries benefit from what we do in Eswatini. We need to share,” Olpak said.
He told the King that Türkiye has 152 business councils across the world and they would be happy to open these as networks for Eswatini businesses as well.
The president said in order to ensure that their commitments to the kingdom work, he would prefer that they hold roundtable discussions with specific stakeholders to resolve whatever matter may arise and stand in the way of their commitments.
His Majesty the King encouraged DEIK to hold such business round tables and said Eswatini considers unemployment and a lack of jobs a disaster or turmoil that needs urgent attention.
“Let’s work hard to make this agreement work and further share whatever information is necessary to ensure that today’s signing does not become nullified,” the King said.
The King also met with the President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Serkan Kayalar, that is involved in two projects in agriculture and one in health.
His Majesty the King appreciated the support the agency gives to the country and invited it to look at more projects than just the three.
The King said his desire is to improve the living conditions of Emaswati and is therefore happy to receive support from organisations like TIKA.
Kayalar described their meeting with the King as the most important one. He said they have 26 offices in Türkiye and will be happy to see their relations with Eswatini grow.
The president expressed his desire to visit the Kingdom to see for himself the projects they are supporting. He assured the King that they are ready and indeed happy to work in the Kingdom of Eswatini and would like to expand their involvement.
Eswatini remains with sadc science and technology task
The Kingdom of Eswatini remains with the task of fulfilling a mandate to build a SADC University of Science and Technology.
His Majesty the King yesterday informed the First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, of this Southern African Development Community (SADC) assignment during bilateral talks on the margins of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF).
He commended Serbia for her advancement in areas of ICT and invited the country to look into how it could assist Eswatini in developing this sector, as well as realising the SADC mandate.
“We have been looking towards countries with such expertise and we hope you could share ideas to help us establish this university that will accommodate students from 16 Member States,” said the King.
He also highlighted the need for technology to maximise the discovery of additional minerals in the kingdom, from which value addition could create more job opportunities.
The King highlighted the role that science and technology parks can play in development and looked forward to learning from the Serbian experience.
The King further accepted an invitation for a state visit to Serbia, a country to which Eswatini has given political support regarding a dispute with Kosovo.
The Serbian DPM said Eswatini’s support in the Kosovo matter was highly significant to Serbia and they were very happy with the position of Eswatini.
He also expressed his country’s keen interest in hosting His Majesty, saying such a visit would be historic. He further assured that the country would look into areas of increased cooperation, especially in the ICT sector.
He said over the past 10 years, ICT has become a major player in the economy and the export of these services has grown tremendously.
“We also have expertise in mining and can make certain proposals. We may also extend cooperation in areas of defence, among many others,” he said.
Serbia and Eswatini established diplomatic relations in 2005. Trade volumes between the two countries are relatively modest, which indicates there is potential for both countries to explore opportunities in sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, pharmaceuticals and tourism.
His Majesty extended the country’s appreciation to Serbia for the scholarships accorded to emaSwati. About 25 scholarships have been availed by the country. He challenged the beneficiaries to make the country proud and return with valuable experience to share with all emaSwati.
Serbia offers a limited number of scholarships for emaSwati, particularly in medicine. Serbia has occasionally provided humanitarian aid and development assistance to Eswatini, particularly in response to natural disasters and emergencies.
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