BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – His Majesty King Mswati III has called for increased economic cooperation between Eswatini and two countries; Cote d’Ivoire and Indonesia.
The King said this today (Thursday, August 8, 2024) at Lozitha Palace when he received letters of credence from ambassadors of the two countries.
Presenting letters of credence from Cote d’Ivoire was His Excellency Ambassador Sakaria Kone, while the Republic of Indonesia’s letters of credence were presented by His Excellency Purwanto Krisnawan.
Speaking to Ambassador Kone of Cote d’Ivoire, the King said,
“We will work very hard and tirelessly to first identify programmes on a bilateral program that we can do to increase trade between the two countries, exchange culture and custom, tourism and other sectors. So we are looking forward that those are things that during the term of office we should be able to achieve. I know already that there are a lot of activities as members of the African Union that is already in active. But of course, the room for expansion continues to be there and we count on your presence that we will expand on the number of programmes that are already in existence. So with these words, we are ready to receive you as the new Ambassador representing your country. We want to asure you that we will give you all the necessary support you will need while you carryout your duties,”
Addressing Ambassador Krisnawan from Indonesia, the King said, “We look forward to sharing ideas and experiences with Indonesia. We have several Indonesian companies and citizens in the country, and I hope our relations will continue to be stronger going forward.”
The two envoys got an opportunity to respond to what the King said. Ambassador Kone of Cote d’Ivoire said, “I wish to commit myself to work towards strengthening our cooperation, especially in the areas of cultural and economic exchanges, and to encourage investment that will benefit our people.”
Ambassador Krisnawan of Indonesia mentioned that he was interested in improving the trade between the two countries, which was around E451.7 million. “Our trade value of USD24.6 million (around E451.7 million) during the last five years can still be increased further if we explore potential sectors such as Agriculture, Infrastructure and Tourism,” Krisnawan said.
