Arm in arm with Taiwan for over 5 decades
MBABANE - Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini says the existing Eswatini-Taiwan diplomatic relations remain a top priority for Their Majesties, government and the people of Eswatini.
Dlamini was speaking when he paid a courtesy call to the outgoing President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Tsai Ing-wen yesterday.
The PM is currently in Taiwan as per invite by the Taiwanese Government.
In his address, Dlamini said his visit to Taiwan provided another unique opportunity for the country to reaffirm and deepen this commitment.
Dlamini reflected on the recent Taiwanese national elections, saying the success of the constitutional national exercise was a clear sign, to the watching world, that peace and democracy remain the utmost aspirations for the great nation of Taiwan.
Uninterrupted
“For the Kingdom of Eswatini, this success guarantees uninterrupted steps into the future and prosperity - arm in arm with Taiwan. Madam President, you will recall that our two countries have walked journeys together for over five decades now.”
He said the pleasant realities of these journeys reflected the true feelings of Taiwan towards Eswatini.
“Eswatini remains grateful and committed to the pleasant realities of the Taiwan-Eswatini strategic partnership, and today I wish to reiterate our commitment to Taiwan’s vision and tactical support for Eswatini’s development agenda,” Dlamini said.
According to the PM, during the official opening of the first session of the 12th Parliament, the directives from the Throne were nothing but a clear message on His Majesty’s commitment to steering the transformation of Eswatini’s economy.
He explained that as a direct command from the King, the construction of the Strategic Oil Reserve Facility is set to commence in the next six months.
Dlamini shared with the president that the appointment of the engineering, procurement and construction contractor was completed and they were looking forward to meeting the appointed local engineers for the project, to discuss a precise date as to when they would start working. He emphasised that His Majesty wanted to know the exact date for the commencement of the actual construction of the facility.
Adding, he stated that Taiwan’s relentless support, through the Taiwan Medical Mission, was also well aligned with another directive from the Throne regarding accessible quality healthcare for every liSwati as and when needed, without any financial or service difficulty.
“Another directive from the Throne is that of the completion of the International Convention Centre (ICCI and Five-Star Hotel. These are some of the major capital projects in Eswatini that continue to receive Taiwan’s technical support, and the major role in transforming Eswatini’s economy is highly anticipated.
“His Majesty commanded that these projects be prioritised in the next financial year of April 2024 and should be completed by December 2024. This will pave the way to His Majesty’s directive of attaining five per cent economic growth while tackling the pressing issues of poverty, unemployment and service delivery,” he said.
Dlamini appreciated Taiwan for supporting many other initiatives and collaboration programmes, based on the Taiwan-Eswatini mutual alliance.
The PM detailed that Taiwan assisted in the renovation of Mbabane Government Hospital’s Referral and the Emergency Complex, which was completed in 2021 by CECI Engineering Consultants, and also sponsored the women empowerment programme, under the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen Mother, which continued to transform the lives of a huge population of women in our country.
“The Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Technical Mission in Eswatini, which continues to provide technical support to local farmers in Eswatini, transforming the agricultural industry and technology, through which emaSwati farmers continue to inherit adept farming methods and knowledge.
This has resulted in an upward gradient of food security in the kingdom and has empowered the rural youth and women.
Also, the rural electrification program has helped bring electricity to the country’s most remote areas. About 85 per cent of Eswatini’s population has access to electricity, one of the highest in Africa,” Dlamini said.
Empowerment
Furthermore, Dlamini mentioned that Taiwan supported the country’s youth empowerment initiatives, fully funded university scholarships awarded to emaSwati students to study in Taiwan and the recently introduced Eswatini English teaching programme for Swazis to teach English in Taiwan.
He further thanked the president for supporting the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saved thousands of emaSwati.
“The Taipei Medical University Hospital, the Central Epidemic Command Centre and the Taiwan We Go Team had a salient role to play in Eswatini during those hard times, and we know it was out of your good heart.
“Madam President, two months from now, you will be making your outstanding exit from office, and before you do that, Eswatini wishes to thank you for the significant visit you made to the kingdom last year in September, as we regard it as a demonstration of the strong Taiwan-Eswatini relations. Indeed, your generous visit left an indelible mark in the hearts of all emaSwati collectively,” Dlamini said.