BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE- President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has joined that country’s top leadership in congratulating His Majesty King Mswati III on the occasion of Eswatini’s Independence Day.
The message from the UAE President was formally announced by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, September 6, placing the Kingdom’s national celebrations on the diplomatic agenda of one of the Gulf region’s most influential states.
The UAE announcement stated that Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed sent a message of congratulations to King Mswati III on the occasion of Eswatini’s Independence Day.
The gesture was reinforced by two other senior UAE leaders.
UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, together with Vice-President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also sent congratulatory messages to His Majesty King Mswati III.
Importantly, the two leaders also sent similar messages to Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini.
The UAE’s official announcement does not publish the full wording of the messages. It therefore remains unclear whether the individual messages contained references to bilateral relations, cooperation or specific areas of engagement between the two countries.
However, the high-level diplomatic gesture comes against the backdrop of renewed UAE diplomatic representation in Eswatini.
In June, the UAE strengthened its diplomatic presence in the Kingdom when Mansour Mohammed Al Juwaied, UAE Ambassador to Mozambique, presented his credentials as the UAE’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Eswatini.
The June 14, 2026 ceremony was held in Mbabane, where Al Juwaied presented a copy of his credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Pholile Shakantu.
During the engagement, the UAE envoy conveyed greetings from UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and expressed wishes for continued progress and prosperity for the government and people of Eswatini.
Al Juwaied also expressed his pride in representing the UAE in Eswatini and reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening bilateral relations across various fields and deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries.
The June diplomatic engagement also involved discussions on areas of cooperation between the UAE and Eswatini and ways of developing them in pursuit of the mutual interests and aspirations of the two countries and their peoples.
A separate UAE report on the ambassador’s presentation of credentials to His Majesty the King said Al Juwaied conveyed greetings from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, together with wishes for Eswatini and its people to achieve further progress and prosperity.
The sequence of events gives added diplomatic significance to this year’s Independence Day messages.
Just months after the UAE’s non-resident ambassador formally took up his diplomatic responsibilities for Eswatini, the UAE’s three senior leadership figures have now collectively marked the Kingdom’s Independence Day, with the President congratulating the King and the Vice-President and Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister also extending messages to both the King and Prime Minister.
For Eswatini, the messages represent a high-level expression of goodwill from the UAE leadership at a time when the two countries are seeking to strengthen diplomatic and bilateral ties.
The UAE’s official announcement was carried by both its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Emirates News Agency (WAM), providing international confirmation of the Independence Day diplomatic exchange.
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(Courtesy Pic)
