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 Russia |  Eswatini |
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Diplomatic relations were established betweenEswatini (calledSwaziland until 2018) andRussia in 1999.
On 5 September 1968, a day beforeEswatini gained independence from theUnited Kingdom, theSoviet Union sent a telegram to the Swazi government recognising the kingdom, and offered to establishdiplomatic relations.[1] In 1970, Sovietdiplomats who were accredited toMozambique travelled to Eswatini on an unofficial basis, and raised the question of the establishment of official relations between the countries.Swazi KingSobhuza II, under pressure from theSouth African government, refused to establish such relations.[2]
On 3 May 1995,Russian presidentBoris Yeltsin issued apresidential decree instructing theRussian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare the necessary notes to establish diplomatic relations with the Kingdom.[3] On 19 November 1999, theRussian Federation and Eswatini officially established diplomatic relations, when theambassadors of the two countries toMozambique met inMaputo and exchanged diplomatic notes.[4]
In 2008,bilateral trade amounted to approximatelyUS$1 million, up from the 2007 amount of US$644,000.[5]
Up until 2009, 20 Swazi citizens have receivedhigher educationin Russia under aRussian government scholarship program.[5]
The ambassador of Russia to Mozambique is concurrently accredited to Eswatini, with residence inMaputo. The current ambassador of Russia to Eswatini is Igor Popov, who was appointed byRussian presidentVladimir Putin on 1 June 2006,[6] and presented hisLetters of Credence toKing of EswatiniMswati III on 27 July 2006.[5] Eswatini does not have diplomatic representation to Russia.[5]
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