President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of December 25 with Dominican Republic Minister of the Presidency Gustavo Adolfo Montalvo Franco and Mrs. Montalvo. In addition to extending a welcome to them on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, President Ma lauded the Dominican Republic for the proactive stance it has taken in assisting in the post-disaster reconstruction efforts of neighboring Haiti.
In remarks, the president stated that the ROC and the Dominican Republic established relations in 1944, and the alliance between the two countries over these nearly seven decades has been consistently friendly and stable. He added that both countries share a commitment to freedom, democracy, and human rights. Furthermore, the president noted, on his two visits to the Dominican Republic he has been deeply impressed by the improvements in the nation's infrastructure and economic development.
President Ma remarked that the Republic of Haiti was shaken by a devastating earthquake in January 2010, causing serious damage and loss of life, and explained that he met with former Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez Reyna when he was in Honduras shortly after the tragedy to attend the inauguration of President Porfirio Lobo Sosa. And after departing Honduras he made a trip to the Dominican Republic for the discussion of a relief plan for Haiti. President Ma reiterated that he admires the Dominican Republic for its generous donations and for assisting in transporting materials donated to Haiti, which were initially sent to the Dominican Republic due to the transportation bottlenecks in Haiti.
The president pointed out that when he was mayor of Taipei City he visited Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic and a sister city to Taipei, and received a warm reception from Mayor Roberto Salcedo. President Ma said that the mass rapid transit system constructed in Santo Domingo was the only one of its kind in the Caribbean and Central America, and many others in the region have been quite impressed with this feat. Consequently, Panama President Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal made the construction of a subway system in Panama City a policy in his campaign platform.
President Ma recognized the enormous political experience of Minister Montalvo, pointing out that he has held important government ethics posts in his nation and served as the chief writer of policy plans for President Danilo Medina during the president's election campaign. Minister Montalvo, President Ma said, plays an important role in the political arena in the Dominican Republic. He expressed his hopes that Minister Montalvo and Mrs. Montalvo will gain a deeper understanding of the state of development here on this trip. This, the president commented, will help to further solidify bilateral friendship and forge greater wellbeing for the people of the two countries.
Minister Montalvo and Mrs. Montalvo, along with a delegation including Dominican Republic Ambassador to the ROC Rafaela Alburquerque de Gonzalez, were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添) and National Security Council Advisor Francis Yi-Hua Kan (甘逸驊).