MoS Margherita meets King of Eswatini during his official visit to African nation

Mbabane: Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita paid a courtesy call on the King of Eswatini, Mswati-III at Lozitha Palace during his official visit to the African Kingdom.

The MoS was warmly received by Foreign Minister of Eswatini Pholile Shakantu on his arrival in Easwatini’s capital Mbabane, as he embarked on a multi-nation official visit to the African continent.

“Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, welcomed by Foreign Minister of Eswatini Senator Pholile Shakantu upon arrival at Mbabane,” High Commission of India in Mbabane posted on X.

The visit is aimed at engaging in meaningful discussions and boosting bilateral relations between the two nations.

“Arrived in the beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini for a bilateral visit. Looking forward to engaging in meaningful engagements and further strengthening the bilateral ties between our two friendly nations,” said Margherita in a post on X.

In Eswatini, MoS Margherita will call on the Prime Minister of the Kingdom and will also hold official talks with the Foreign Minister of Eswatini to discuss matters of mutual interest and to review the progress of bilateral relations.

“The visit will focus on strengthening cooperation in areas such as trade & investment, capacity building, development partnership and people-to-people exchanges. MoS (PM) will also engage with the Indian diaspora and participate in events highlighting India’s development partnership initiatives in Eswatini. This visit is expected to further enhance the longstanding and friendly relations between India and the Kingdom of Eswatini,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ahead of MoS Margherita’s visit.

The multi-nation official visit to the African continent is part of India’s broader diplomatic engagement with African nations and is aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation, exploring new avenues of partnership, and representing India at the upcoming G20 Development Ministerial Meetings (DMM) in South Africa.

The visit will also take him to the Kingdom of Lesotho, scheduled from July 18-22, followed by South Africa from July 23-25.

–IANS