President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of August 17 received the credentials of Olga Maria Aguja Zuniga, the new Republic of Guatemala ambassador to the ROC. The president extended a cordial welcome to Ambassador Aguja on taking up her new position in Taiwan, and called for continued strengthening of bilateral cooperation to further solidify the alliance.
In remarks, President Ma stated that Ambassador Aguja used to be an instructor at Universidad Rafael Landivar. She has a wealth of specialized experience in diplomacy, having served as advisor to the head of Guatemala's Peace Secretariat (Secretaria de la Paz, SEPAZ), director general of the General Directorate of Multilateral Relations and Economics at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and as Guatemala's Ambassador to Peru. Ambassador Aguja in 2013 participated in a training course organized by the ROC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for senior government officials from diplomatic allies, and her daughter also received a scholarship from Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund to study for a master's degree in civil engineering at National Cheng Kung University, earning her degree in 2012. President Ma said that he is confident that Ambassador Aguja's appointment will help forge even closer and friendlier bilateral ties.
The president mentioned that he first visited Guatemala as the mayor of Taipei City, when Taipei and Guatemala City became sister cities. As president, he visited again in May of 2009, and Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina and Mrs. Perez subsequently led a delegation to the ROC in June of 2013. President Ma also held discussions with his counterpart once again in July of 2014 when he visited Panama to attend the inauguration ceremonies for that nation's President Juan Carlos Varela. The two leaders exchanged opinions on a wide range of matters regarding bilateral cooperation, and this close interaction is conducive to adding even greater depth to the alliance between the ROC and Guatemala, said President Ma.
The president pointed out that bilateral cooperation has continued to get stronger since the two nations established diplomatic relations in 1933, over 80 years ago, and that the peoples of the two countries have forged strong friendships. The president stated that since he took office in 2008, the government has carried out its foreign aid and promoted cooperation projects conducive to enhancing the wellbeing of the peoples of the two countries under the principle that "the purpose must be legitimate, the process must be lawful, and the implementation must be effective."
Discussing the economic and trade relationship, the president said that bilateral trade between Taiwan and Guatemala in 2007 was about US$127 million, but that number had grown by over 30% to over US$166 million as of last year. ROC nationals and companies have also invested over US$43 million in Guatemala and employ over 1,400 Guatemalans.
The ROC Ministry of National Defense in December 2012 donated two helicopters to Guatemala for humanitarian aid. In 2013 and 2014, the two countries worked together to promote a program to rebuild bridges that were destroyed in natural disasters, and provide assistance in response to a drought in Guatemala, the president said. The ROC also assists Guatemala to maintain the two helicopters through audio-visual conferences, enhancing efficiency and convenience while also reducing maintenance-related expenses.
President Ma then mentioned cooperation between the two countries in the field of medicine. He commented that former Guatemalan Vice President Rafael Espada is a heart transplant expert who previously led a delegation to southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital to exchange opinions with Superintendent Chao-Long Chen (陳肇隆) about setting up a national organ transplant center in Guatemala. In 2013, Santiago Haider, a baby boy from Guatemala suffering from congenital biliary atresia, underwent liver transplant surgery in Taiwan. The surgery was successful and the little boy's post-op recovery has been smooth. The president hopes that this type of surgery will be performed in Guatemala in the future so that people there can enjoy more convenient medical services while also reducing costs. The deep bond of friendship forged through bilateral cooperation in the medical field, the president said, has thus strengthened diplomatic ties.
President Ma also expressed his deepest gratitude to Guatemala for supporting meaningful participation for Taiwan in United Nations-affiliated organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and for speaking on behalf of the ROC in many international venues.