His Majesty King Mswati III says continued bilateral relations between Eswatini and Japan benefit both countries.
He said Eswatini could learn a lot from Japan, a developed country whose traditions were central to its success. The King said Japan’s strong traditions, together with technology, had propelled it towards development, which Eswatini hoped to emulate.
His Majesty said this when receiving letters of credence from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Eswatini, Shimizu Fumio, at Lozitha Palace yesterday. The King said the presence of the new ambassador strengthened the longstanding relations between the two countries. He said since Eswatini was a developing country, Japan could share its experiences and good practices.
He highlighted that the country was on a drive to become one of the highly developed countries, with all sectors being governed appropriately and citizens well taken care of. This, the King said, was at par with Africa’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, which was Africa’s development blueprint to achieve inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development over a 50-year period. Also, His Majesty stated that Japan had contributed immensely to Eswatini’s economy in various areas including education and health, among other projects.
He expressed hope of having more programmes that would enable both countries to progress together. On another note, the King mentioned that sometime back, the two countries were trade partners, although some of the goods—such as minerals—that Japan had contributed immensely to Eswatini’s economy got depleted. Even so, His Majesty expressed his wish for the two nations to explore new opportunities and share ideas in various development areas. Further, His Majesty noted that Japan had developed the T-Card programme, which he said had the potential of transforming Africa to attain inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development.
“Africa just launched the Africa Free Trade Levy which is meant for all African countries to trade effectively. However, without proper structures, this cannot be achieved,” he said.
The King appreciated Japan for considering Eswatini and Africa at large as one of its development partners. He assured Ambassador Fumio that government would support him during his tenure as Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Eswatini. On the sidelines, His Majesty expressed his amazement at how Ambassador Fumio had given himself time to learn Siswati. This was after the ambassador made his salutations in Siswati.
The King said it was encouraging to see that the ambassador had gone all out to learn so many Siswati words. Meanwhile, Ambassador Fumio reaffirmed Japan’s enduring support for Eswatini’s development priorities and pledged to deepen bilateral ties. The ambassador conveyed warm greetings from His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, along with his government’s commitment to enhancing the already strong relations between the two nations, dating back to the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971.
He acknowledged Japan’s continued support for Eswatini in areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture, and food security. These had long been pillars of Japanese cooperation in the kingdom, particularly through grant and technical assistance frameworks.
“By continuing such cooperation, I look forward to further promoting our bilateral relations through strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between the people of our two countries,” he said. Ambassador Shimizu also praised the participation of Prime Minister Russell Dlamini at the National Day of Eswatini held at the Osaka Kansai Expo in Japan last month. The occasion served as a symbol of growing ties and cultural exchange between the two nations.
Eswatini Observer Press Reader | View Here
