“We are establishing diplomatic relations with many countries," Nxumalo said. "Geo is not centered in one position. Geo is controlled and influenced from various corners of the globe. As the kingdom of Eswatini, that’s where we want to make our presence available, and that’s where we want to make our presence felt, where there’s geo activities - whether economical trade or diplomacy or even political processes, we would want to be engaged. ...
"So Eswatini is, therefore, according to our cardinal foreign policy, an enemy to none but a friend to all.”
Being friends to all has allowed Eswatini to maintain diplomatic relations with both China and Taiwan, despite efforts by Beijing to persuade Eswatini to cut ties with the self-governing island.
China has threatened various measures against Eswatini but has never carried them out.
Nearly 60% of Eswatini's population lives in poverty, and its economy was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was followed by a wave of protests that ruined or damaged many es.
Mavela Sigwane, head of transformation at the Federation of Eswatini Community, said the outreach efforts to South Korea, Singapore and Bhutan represent more than diplomacy; they hold the potential for significant economic benefits.
“This Korea agreement which has been signed, we are so excited it," Sigwane said. "It will open a number of avenues for the local es to also tap into the available opportunities in Korea."
The Korea agreement Signwane referred to is a recent South Korean commitment to spend more than $20 billion in development assistance and investment initiatives in Africa.
Eswatini’s King Mswati commended South Korea for the commitments and invited South Korean es to invest in Eswatini.
