Portuguese-Swaziland relations

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Portuguese-Swaziland relations
Location of Portugal and Swaziland
PortugalPortugal SwazilandSwaziland
Portugal Swaziland

The Portuguese-Swaziland relations describe the intergovernmental relationship between Portugal and Swaziland . The countries have had direct diplomatic relations since 1968.

The bilateral relations are shaped by the Portuguese community in Swaziland and the bilateral trade, in which the Portuguese imports of Swaziland sugar dominate.

In 2014, 1,026 people were registered in the Portuguese consulate in Swaziland, and in 2017 the Portuguese community was estimated to be around 1,300 people.

Eight citizens of Swaziland were registered in Portugal in 2015.

history

Portugal's embassy in Mozambique is also responsible for Swaziland

On 6 September 1968 accredited to Manuel Lopes da Costa as the first Portuguese Ambassador to the Swazi capital Mbabane . Until 1976 Portugal had its own embassy in Mbabane, since then the Portuguese representation in the Mozambican capital Maputo has been responsible for Swaziland.

Especially after the independence of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique in 1975, a large number of residents of Mozambique of Portuguese origin went to Portugal as retornados , but many also settled in South Africa and other neighboring countries, including Swaziland. Since then, the Portuguese community has been shaped by its activities as entrepreneurs in the construction, industry and trade (especially automobiles).

On November 16, 2015, the University of Swaziland and the Portuguese cultural institute Instituto Camões signed a letter of intent to establish a degree in Portuguese . This happened at the request of the Swaziland King Mswati III. who wants to promote the spread of the Portuguese language in his country, which is also the state language in neighboring Mozambique. At the time, the University of Swaziland was already running cooperation projects with the Mozambican Eduardo Mondlane University . In this context, the inclusion of Portuguese in the state Swaziland curriculum was discussed with the country's Ministry of Education. So far, English and Swazi have been the only languages ​​taught, while Portuguese has only been taught in private institutions by three Portuguese teachers. Swaziland's first intentions to seek observer status in the community of Portuguese-speaking countries were also announced.

The case of the kidnapped Portuguese entrepreneur Almor Simões Oliveira was the subject of Portuguese news coverage in 2017. The 77-year-old industrialist had been living in Swaziland for several decades when he disappeared near Matsapha in April 2017 . His family then received ransom demands for the equivalent of around 135,000 euros, and two Asians were suspected of his kidnapping and arrested.

diplomacy

Portugal has not had its own embassy in Swaziland since 1976 ; the Portuguese ambassador in Maputo, capital of neighboring Mozambique, about 200 km away, is responsible. An honorary consulate of Portugal has been set up in the Swaziland capital Mbabane .

Swaziland does not have its own embassy in Portugal either; its representative in Brussels is responsible. There are also no Swaziland consulates in Portugal.

economy

Port wine cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia : Wine is Portugal's most important export to Swaziland

The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP does not have a branch in Swaziland, the AICEP branch in Maputo is responsible.

One of the most important Portuguese companies in Swaziland is the energy company Galp , which sells fuels and lubricants here after taking over the Swaziland subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell .

In 2016, Portugal exported goods worth 2.58 million euros to Swaziland ( 2015 : 2.63 million; 2014 : 1.86 million; 2013 : 2.05 million; 2012 : 2.14 million) , thereof 77.2% food (especially wine), 9.5% fuel, 8.3% minerals and ores and 3.0% machines and devices.

In the same period, Swaziland delivered goods worth EUR 21.46 million to Portugal ( 2015 : 27.44 million; 2014 : 0.99 million; 2013 : 35.24 million; 2012 : 0.86 million) , of which 96.2% sugar and 3.7% fruit.

This put Swaziland in 134th place as buyer and 82nd as supplier for Portuguese foreign trade, while Portugal was in 31st place among buyers and 27th among suppliers in Swaziland's foreign trade.

Web links

Commons : Portuguese-Swaziland Relations  - Image Collection

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Overview of diplomatic relations with Swaziland , diplomatic institute of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs , accessed on May 4, 2019
  2. ↑ Overview of Portuguese-Swaziland migration at the Portuguese Scientific Observatório da Emigração (Table A.3), accessed on May 7, 2017
  3. ↑ a b Português desaparecido desde domingo na Suazilândia (“Portuguese missing in Swaziland since Sunday”), article of April 21, 2017 of the news portal of the Portuguese Cofina media group, accessed on May 7, 2017
  4. ↑ Official alien statistics by district , Portuguese Immigration and Border Agency SEF, accessed on May 7, 2017
  5. ↑ List of Portuguese representatives in Swaziland ( Memento of the original from February 28, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Diplomatic Institute of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed May 7, 2017 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / idi.mne.pt
  6. ↑ a b List of Portuguese missions abroad , website of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed on May 7, 2017
  7. ↑ Universidade da Suazilândia vai ter licenciatura em Português (“University of Swaziland receives Portuguese degree”), article of November 26, 2015 in the international Portuguese newspaper Mundo Português , accessed on May 7, 2017
  8. ↑ Suazilândia compara amostras de sangue para Finderar português desaparecido ("Swaziland compares blood samples to find missing Portuguese"), article of May 4, 2017 in the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias , accessed on May 7, 2017
  9. ↑ Overview of the activities in Swaziland , website of Galp Energia , accessed on May 7, 2017
  10. ↑ a b c Bilateral economic relations between Portugal and Swaziland , Excel file retrieval from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP, accessed on May 7, 2017