Eswatini has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing reforms within the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) as Prime Minister Russell Dlamini met with newly appointed OACPS secretary general Moussa Saleh-Batraki on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Eswatini government said the discussions focused on key challenges facing the OACPS and the secretary general’s role in driving the organisation’s strategic reform agenda.
“Eswatini reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the OACPS in achieving its strategic vision,” the statement said.
The meeting, held at the Private and Cabinet Office in Mbabane, recognised Eswatini’s continued support for OACPS initiatives, with the country holding significant leadership positions within the organisation.
Foreign Minister Pholile Shakantu currently serves as president of the OACPS Council of Ministers while Sibusisiwe Mngomezulu chairs the OACPS Committee of Ambassadors.
The 79-member OACPS was founded in the 1970s to coordinate aid and trade between the European Economic Community and former colonies.
It has faced challenges in recent years, including being superseded by bespoke relationships between the commission and specific countries, as well as the African Union.
That has left the group’s secretariat in Brussels with little to do besides organise sparsely attended, EU-funded meetings between European ministers and members of the European Parliament and their counterparts in African, Caribbean and Pacific nations.
JN/APA