Premier Jiang Yi-huah today received Prime Minister and Mrs. Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini of the Kingdom of Swaziland, saying this visit affirms the strong ties between the ROC and the diplomatic ally. He also applauded Dr. Dlamini for his outstanding governance and extended a cordial welcome to the Swaziland delegation.
The African nation became an ROC diplomatic partner in 1968. Over past decades, the two countries have collaborated closely in developing agriculture, medical care and education. The ROC government has endeavored to assist Swaziland in building up a number of infrastructure facilities, including the King Mswati III International Airport unveiled this March, and the first phase of the Royal Science and Technology Park completed last month. Such progress attests to the success of bilateral cooperation projects, Jiang reiterated.
Taiwan is also eager to share with Swaziland its experiences with the international airport renovation projects and development of the free economic pilot zones, Jiang added.
Swaziland has long been a firm supporter of the ROC's participation in the United Nations. At a general debate of the U.N. General Assembly last year, King Mswati III personally advocated for Taiwan's participation in U.N. specialized agencies. Jiang thanked Swaziland for backing the ROC on many occasions. He also hopes the two countries can deepen their friendship by arranging more high-level visits and continuing collaborations on infrastructure works.