By Sifiso Nhlabatsi
LOZITHA – India has welcomed His Majesty King Mswati III’s call for countries to honour international peace agreements, saying the position aligns with India’s policy of promoting a rules-based global order.
High Commissioner-designate of India to Eswatini Anand Prakash said the King’s remarks at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York had attracted the attention of the international community and were consistent with India’s position on international affairs.
Prakash was speaking on Thursday evening when he presented his Letters of Accreditation to His Majesty at Lozitha Royal Palace.
“Your Majesty’s remarks at the 81st Session of United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA urging the United Nations to enforce binding compliance on signed international peace agreements warrants attention of the International Community and align with India’s policy of rules-based global order,” said Prakash.
During his address to the UN General Assembly on September 23, the King called for countries to respect signed peace agreements and urged the United Nations to provide oversight to ensure that such agreements were followed and compliance monitored.
The King linked the implementation of peace agreements to the prevention of renewed conflict, warning that failure to preserve peace could result in further destruction of infrastructure and loss of innocent lives.
He also called for continued diplomatic and political solutions to conflicts, stressing the role of dialogue in achieving sustainable peace.
Prakash’s comments place the King’s call within a broader area of convergence between Eswatini and India on international governance and the need for countries to uphold agreed international commitments.
The Indian envoy said India and Eswatini shared views on the need to reform institutions of global governance, including the United Nations Security Council, to reflect present-day realities and provide adequate representation to all parts of the world, including Africa.
He thanked Eswatini for supporting India’s candidatures at various multilateral forums, including the successful election of India’s candidate, Professor Bimal N. Patel, as a Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for the 2026–2035 term.
Prakash also thanked His Majesty for Eswatini’s support for India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2028–29 term, as well as India’s call for a permanent seat in an expanded Security Council.
The High Commissioner-designate said the two countries shared the view that global governance institutions required reform to provide greater representation to different regions.
The remarks come as Eswatini assumes a greater regional peace and security role through its chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation Troika.
In his UN address, the King said Eswatini would use the responsibility to work with SADC member states to strengthen preventive diplomacy, dialogue and mediation.
Prakash congratulated His Majesty on assuming the regional responsibility, saying India valued Eswatini’s contribution to peace and stability.
The Indian diplomat said he would work during his tenure to take relations between India and Eswatini further, building on cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels.
His presentation of credentials comes after India appointed Prakash as its next High Commissioner to Eswatini in August. The Indian President’s official records show that Prakash met President Droupadi Murmu ahead of his deployment to the Kingdom.
