President Tsai attends welcoming ceremony for Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez
On the morning of October 3, President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Chen Chien-jen and his wife welcomed Republic of Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez and his wife to the ROC in a ceremony featuring full military honors, and called for continued strengthening of diplomatic ties and bilateral cooperation.
The welcoming ceremony was held at 10:00 a.m. at the Main Plaza of the National Performing Arts Center in downtown Taipei. After a 21-gun salute and the performance of the national anthem of each country, President Tsai and President Hernandez each delivered an address.
The following is a translation of President Tsai's remarks:
On the evening of Taiwan's presidential election earlier this year, after the results were announced, President Hernandez was the first head of state from a diplomatic ally to congratulate me and the people of our nation via video conference, so I would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation.
Five months later, when I was in Panama on June 26 to attend the inauguration ceremony for the Panama Canal Expansion, President Hernandez and I met for an in-depth discussion on how to further enhance bilateral cooperation, and we arrived at a consensus on the matter. While in Panama, I invited President Hernandez to visit Taiwan, and I am very happy today that he has taken up that invitation, so I would once again like to extend our warmest welcome.
Diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Honduras date back more than 75 years. During this period, conditions around the world have undergone changes, but the friendly and cooperative relationship between our two countries has steadily progressed all the while. Particularly since President Hernandez has been in office, the scope of bilateral cooperation has expanded, and this has further improved our friendship.
I thank Honduras for the many years it has spent doing the right thing by supporting Taiwan in the international community. Our two countries' shared commitment to freedom, democracy, and peace has enhanced our cooperative relationship. Taiwan is confident that it can make important contributions on global issues by working together with Honduras and its other diplomatic allies.
President and Mrs. Hernandez have traveled a long way to be here, and we will be engaging in wide-ranging discussions regarding international conditions and matters of shared concern. I hope that this visit will help everyone in the visiting delegation gain a better understanding of conditions in Taiwan and a clearer picture of the progress Taiwan has made toward a democratic society with diverse voices.
As we move forward, let us work hand-in-hand, unwavering and firm in purpose, sure-footedly engaging in a new mode of mutually beneficial cooperation that will further cement and enhance our bilateral friendship.
Included in the delegation were Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Maria Dolores Aguero Lara), Minister of Economic Development Arnaldo Castillo Figueroa), and Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Jacobo Alberto Paz Bodden.