On the morning of July 16, President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation led by Victor Alcides Bogado Gonzalez, chairman of the Paraguay-ROC Friendship Committee in the Republic of Paraguay's Chamber of Senators. The president welcomed Senator Bogado to Taiwan and called for continued strengthening of cooperation and ties between the two countries.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Senator Bogado previously visited the ROC five times as president of the Chamber of Deputies. Last year, he become a senator and presently serves as second vice-president of the Chamber of Senators. President Ma recognized Senator Bogado's political abilities and his strong connections throughout the political community. In addition, he has a deep fondness for Taiwan and a thorough understanding of the bilateral relationship, making him an important friend to Taiwan in Paraguay's political community, the president said.
President Ma noted that the Paraguayan Chamber of Senators ROC Friendship Committee was established at the end of last year thanks to the efforts of Senator Bogado. At present, 15 of the body's 45 senators are members of the group, and they come from both the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Radical Autentico, PLRA) and the National Republican Association-Colorado Party (Asociacion Nacional Republicana Partido Colorado, ANR), he said, adding that this shows how the friendship of Paraguay towards the ROC transcends party lines.
As for the members of this delegation, President Ma commented, Friendship Committee Deputy Chairperson Senator Blanca Beatriz Fonseca Legal and Senator Adolfo Marcelino Ferreiro Sanabria are visiting Taiwan for the first time, while Senator Juan Dario Monges Espinola had visited Taiwan during his term as president of the Chamber of Deputies from 2002 to 2003. They have shown a deep friendship towards the ROC, the president said.
President Ma remarked that Paraguay is the ROC's only diplomatic ally in South America and that the diplomatic relationship between the two nations, which was established on July 12, 1957, has spanned 57 years. Paraguay, he said, has consistently been a loyal ally to the ROC.
President Ma stated that he led a delegation to Paraguay six years ago to attend the inauguration of then-President Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez. The hospitality of the public made a deep impression on him, he said. And last year he made another visit to Paraguay to attend the inauguration of President Horacio Cartes. During his visit, he was invited to tour the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree, he remarked.
The president mentioned that, in terms of land mass, the Republic of Paraguay is the largest of the ROC's diplomatic allies, and roughly 5,000 compatriots from Taiwan reside there, mostly doing business. President Ma said that the ROC and Paraguay have signed a number of agreements, and since 2004 the ROC each year has provided Taiwan Scholarships to 20 individuals from that nation. Meanwhile, in 2012 the ROC also began offering 12 scholarships to Paraguayan students annually to come to Taiwan to learn Chinese and study at local universities. Over 100 students from Paraguay each year are now studying in Taiwan on scholarships, the president noted, furthermore expressing hope that students from Taiwan will study in Paraguay, which would expand bilateral interaction.
President Ma emphasized that Paraguay has on many occasions spoken on behalf of the ROC in international venues. He expressed hope that the two sides can continue their cooperation in a variety of areas, thereby further deepening the bilateral alliance.