Times Of Swaziland: RUSSIA SECURITY OFFER: THANKS, BUT NOT YET - MINISTER

RUSSIA SECURITY OFFER: THANKS, BUT NOT YET - MINISTER
================================================================================
Nonduduzo Kunene on 19/01/2023 08:32:00


MBABANE – Eswatini has not reached a point where it might require external
assistance to strengthen its security.
This was a response by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, Thuli Dladla, when she was asked if the country was looking at
exploring the option of collaborating with other nations in order to strengthen
its security, especially the army. This was brought about by a statement that
was made by the Russian Federation Ambassador to Eswatini, Alexander Surikov,
during a press conference held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mbabane on Tuesday.
This reporter had asked the ambassador if his country had army personnel
training army recruits who were currently undergoing training at Mbuluzi Army
Barracks. The ambassador was also asked if his country, by any chance, would
assist the kingdom to strengthen its security as well as the army in times of
need.
Discussions
The ambassador said that would depend on discussions the two countries might
have. He stated that in any case, it was always up to the Ministry of Defence to
develop a method it would like to use to strengthen its military force. Surikov
said if the need arose for the Eswatini Defence wing to reach out to the Russian
Federation Defence, they would gladly assist. He explained that for them to
reach that point, the governments, in terms of the ministers, could discuss if
really there was a need to assist. In response,  Minister Dladla said they
appreciated that the Russian Federation was willing to assist Eswatini tighten
its security, but at the moment the country had not reached the point where it
was looking at bringing in foreign army officers to keep peace or assist with
security. “We are not there yet, I believe the country’s security is capable
of dealing with the current situation in the country,” she said.
The minister said it was a pity that the outside world was sold other narratives
about the state of security and unrest in the country. She said in as much as
they could not deny that the situation was not the same like in previous years,
it was not yet out of control. Dladla highlighted that the country had strong
bilateral relations with Russia, that they were even looking at expanding
further to other sectors, but not security. The minister noted that Russia had
come forth and extended higher learning opportunities in several fields of study
and professions, such as Medicine, Engineering, Mining as well as Security
Intelligence. Adding, the minister said even if there was a need for engaging
foreign army to tighten security, they would go through certain structures.
She noted that there were structures in the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) that the country might need to consult with when there was a
serious security threat. She further noted that a similar case had occurred
recently in Mozambique, where countries in the region released army personnel to
keep peace in the northern part of the country.  Dladla added that Eswatini
could also reach out to the African Union (AU) for assistance as well as the
United Nations (UN), where Eswatini is a member State. She emphasised that
Eswatini had not approached any country or imported security, personnel to
tighten security, as the local security personnel were capable of safeguarding
the nation.