Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Senator Pholile Shakantu on Thursday welcomed Zambia’s designate High Commissioner Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom, H.E. Derick Livune.
The meeting comes on the back of growing ties between Mbabane and Lusaka, with the two countries having signed three key agreements in 2023 covering defence, trade and forestry.
The first of those agreements established a Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security, which seeks to strengthen cooperation in defence matters and promote peace and stability in both countries and the broader Southern African region.
The two governments also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Investment Cooperation, aimed at driving economic growth and deepening trade relations between Eswatini and Zambia.
A third Memorandum of Understanding, focusing on Forestry Cooperation, was also concluded, with both countries committing to sustainable forest management and closer collaboration in the forestry sector.
The arrival of Zambia’s new High Commissioner is widely seen as a signal that both Eswatini and Zambia are intent on building on those agreements and taking their bilateral relationship to the next level, with shared goals of peace, economic prosperity and sustainable development in Southern Africa.
