Latest news with #LetsieIII
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs ERI's attendance at the symposium 'Empowering Lesotho: Unlocking Finance to Drive the Energy Transition in a Land-Locked Developing Country'
On July 3rd, Ms. ERI Arfiya, Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, attended the symposium 'Empowering Lesotho: Unlocking Finance to Drive the Energy Transition in a Land-Locked Developing Country', co-hosted by the United Nations University and the Embassy of Lesotho in Japan, with the presence of the H.M. Letsie III, King of the Kingdom of Lesotho and H.M. Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso, who are in Japan to participate in the National Day events of the Osaka-Kansai Expo. She delivered a speech on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The outline of the speech is as follows. At the outset, Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI welcomed the visit of H.M. Letsie III and H.M. Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso to Japan, and stated that, since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971, Japan and Lesotho have built cordial relations through cooperation in areas such as food security, renewable energy, education, and health. Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI mentioned Japan's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and expressed her hope to work with Lesotho, which is actively promoting the transition to renewable energy by leveraging its abundant water resources and high-quality renewable energy resources, to lead global efforts for climate change measures and promote economic development. Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI mentioned that the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) will be held in Yokohama in August this year, and concluded her remarks by expressing her hope to take this opportunity to create innovative solutions that will lead to the prosperity of both Japan and Africa by leveraging Japanese technology and expertise on various topics including the renewable energy sector, which was discussed in this symposium. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
The King and Queen of Lesotho to Visit Japan
H.M. Letsie III, King of the Kingdom of Lesotho and H.M. Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso will pay a visit to Japan from June 29 to July 4. During their stay in Japan, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress will participate the National Day Event of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, as official guest of the Government of Japan. The visit of Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress is expected to further develop the bilateral relations between Japan and Lesotho. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lesotho's king warns nation will reel from Trump cuts
Lesotho will suffer from Donald Trump's aid cuts and stands to lose up to 40,000 jobs if the US president also cancels a trade pact granting duty-free access to the American market, the monarch of the tiny southern African kingdom warned ahead of a trip to Europe on Wednesday. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, Lesotho is heavily reliant on exports and foreign aid to fund its $2 billion gross domestic product. "If AGOA is terminated, it will have an immediate impact on the economy because it could mean the loss of jobs for 30,000 to 40,000 people," King Letsie III told AFP in his palace in Matsieng, some 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the capital Maseru. "It's a worrying thing but if it happens, we'll have to deal with it," he said. Enacted in 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides duty-free access for some products from about 30 sub-Saharan countries. It is due for renewal in September and many are questioning its fate after the blitz of trade policy changes since the return of Trump to the White House. The poor nation of about 2.3 million people has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world and is already reeling from a freeze to US funding of its healthcare. The United States has committed more than $630 million since 2006 to anti-HIV/AIDS efforts in Lesotho, according to the US embassy. Trump kicked up a diplomatic storm earlier this month when he defended the cuts to Lesotho, saying it was a country "nobody has ever heard of". "I was a little bit upset," said Letsie III, who has no formal power. "We have enjoyed very warm relations with the US and the people," he said, vowing to use the publicity from Trump's mockery to promote the country known for its beautiful mountainous terrain. Letsie III will travel to France on Wednesday and is due to meet President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. He is later expected to participate in a nutrition summit to round up the Europe trip at the weekend. str-ho/br/ach
